


Rebirth

by Oseddian



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: A+ parenting from the Solos and the Skywalkers, Family Drama, Force ghost Kenobi, Gen, Super angsty siths, intense brooding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-06-06 16:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 50,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6760816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oseddian/pseuds/Oseddian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Decades after giving up his life to save his son, Anakin Skywalker wakes up in a strange facility with an thundering headache and a mood fouler than a hutts armpits. He soon realizes that he shouldn't be there and desperately tries to find a way out. Unfortunately he runs into a certain someone *cough* Kylo Ren *cough* who makes that task nearly impossible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening

The setting sun gazed down upon rolling hills of Naboo, illuminating the land and sky in a rainbow of reds and yellows. He let the endless streams of grass sift through his hands as he absently walked through the emerald fields around him. The waterfall in the distance rushed downwards in a torrent of noise that existed simply as a welcomed break from the sounds of an equally noisy imperial engine room. Not that he disliked engine rooms. Anakin had always found an odd solace in working in them. But here, here the peace he felt dwarfed any comfort simple mechanics could ever hope to give him. He looked around, she as here somewhere. He could sense her. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"You can't hide from me forever, you know."

No response. They would be here all day if she kept this up. Force they HAD been here all day. A lifetime ago he hid in this very place from her and now she was getting her own back, or so she thought. Anakin closed his eyes and focused on the force, allowing it to guide him in the right direction. He felt Padres' unmistakably pure presence emanating from behind him. It was approaching closer ever so slowly. Was she going to try to scare him? He scoffed to himself. Hardly, no one could scare a man with forty years of force training under his belt. Without warning he jolted around 180 degrees to meet her. There! He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close to his chest.

"Gotcha!"

She shrieked in surprise.

"You're too good at this"

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her Curly brown hair swayed gently in the wind. Her deep dark eyes stared into his, right into his sole without an ounce of fear. Why would she be afraid? Nothing could hurt them here. She was his and after all these years, finally, they were together.

"I would be a sore excuse for Jedi if I wasn't"

He said it jokingly but the word still stuck in his tongue. Jedi. He hated Jedi, yet he gave up his life to save one. Did that make him a light-side user now? Or perhaps he was just a kind hearted monster. Or maybe he was neither. You know what? It didn't matter, not now. As long as he didn't say the 'S(ith)' word around her everything would remain the same. Everything would be perfect.

"Ani, what's that?" She asked. Her tone suddenly caught a hint of fear.

"What's what?" He asked puzzled.

She drew back from him as if some force was leading her away? He looked down to see shimmering waves of blue wafting around him, distorting his body. He was going blue, ghost blue. A wave of surprise hit him.

"What's going on?" He shouted.

A deep humming erupted in his ears. A blurry haze fell on the world around him. He reached out desperately for Padme. A stab of panic hit him hard in the chest. He couldn't leave her, not again!

"Anakin!" She cried as she jumped towards him. But it was too late. As soon as she reached him he was gone. He had vanished into nothing.

Eyes shot open. He drew a breadth but instead or air he heaved a gulp of sour-tasting liquid. Without thinking he surged forward out of the water. Coughing furiously he desperately tried to get the water out of his lunges. With several choking gasps, his shoulder fell against something metal, sending spikes of pain running up a shaking arm. His heart thumped so hard in his chest he could feel it in his throat. Blinking, he tried to get the think murky liquid (which stung like a deserts sun) out of his eyes. Everything was spinning, his ears rung as though he had been close to an explosion.

A hazy image of a large room Formed in front of him. A large red flashing light burned against his raw eyes. 'Control' he thought. He needed control. He tried to control his erratic breathing, and the wild panic that had consumed his body faded somewhat. The return of controlled thought was swiftly followed by confusion. He looked down, and to be sitting in some sort of bath,; filled with a shallow green liquid. He blinked his eyes again, hoping he might be able to see things more clearly. The bath was hooked up to a series of wires which he followed to a control panel a few feet away. Force this place was filthy. Grime seeped down the ancient and dented metal walls. Everywhere reeked of oil. He shook his head dismay. Anakin quickly decided that he had to get out of here and find out what was going on before someone came in and saw him awake.

Still dazed and confused, he weakly grabbed the rim of the bath and hap-hazardy climbed out. The ringing in his ears was subsiding now, but he almost fell as his shaking legs bore his weight for the first time. He was surprised to feel sensations if cold register in his mind as his toes touched the durasteel floor. His eyes shot down to see a pair of fleshy, human legs holding him upright. Flesh legs. His eyes ran along long, healthy arms. Un-burt arms, devoid of even the smallest scratch on their tanned skin. His hands flew to his head, where he found a mop of damp hair. His stomach fluttered at the sensation. He was whole. He didn't have even one robotic limb. And he realized that he had been breathing independently this entire time. Questions started racing through his mind. How was this possible? Hadn't he died? Was this just a dream?

He frowned and looked down curiously at his young, healthy body. Then another problem presented itself. If he was going to be going anywhere we would be he needing clothes. He took a step forward and nearly fell over. A wave of nausea hit him. His head hammered, maybe the control panel could tell him what was wrong, so he stumbled towards it. It displayed his name and underneath showed a small chart of the human anatomy. At the very bottom a small bar was full. In small writing it said:

"Re-materialization process 100% complete. Please run diagnostic tests as outlined before awakening either subject."

Either subject? Wait. Anakin glanced around. Sure enough there was another bath full of green liquid close to his. It was ominously empty. He shook his head, he didn't have time to figure this all out. He had to get out of here. Whoever had done this to him could appear at any minute. Suddenly the ground shook beneath him. He heard a loud boom from somewhere in the distance. Well that settled it, he was leaving right now. He trotted towards the exit and to his pleasant surprise he found a lab coat (which had spots of blood on it) and a robe on the floor. He scooped them up and put them on as he headed out the set of auto-doors ahead.

The hallway outside was just a wretched as that room. Part of the ceiling had completely collapsed leaving wires dangling precariously towards the ground. He didn't have much time to look around however, as the force almost immediately whispered warnings of strangers approaching. Cursing under his breath, Anakin searched for somewhere to hide. He awkwardly slid into one of the many skinny lockers that lined the hallway. It was so small and he was so tall that he had to hunch himself over just to stand in there, if it didn't remind him of Kenobi so much he would have rolled his eyes. But he didn't want to be anything like that traitor.

The sound of boots running in unison came from the left. A group of stormtroopers stormed passed him with rifles raised. He furrowed his brow, they looked like storm troopers alright, almost. Their helmets were different, not like the helmet of a clone trooper, or a storm trooper. It was an entirely new design. Why? What year was this? Where in seven hells was he? He couldn't take this confusion much longer. Ignorance was a sorry excuse and he wouldn't be caught using it. It was as though he was a child all over again! He climbed out of the blasted locker and slammed it shut. No one kept a former Sith Lord in the dark for long. He stalked down the hallway. This wouldn't do. He needed a disguise so he could move around freely. If he could get his hands on a set of stormtrooper armor he could have just that.

Now he was marching through the hallways like an angry storm. The force ripped through the facility, feeding him with knowledge. Such as the fact that just ahead was two troopers, one was injured. The other unarmed. Easy pickings. Turning the corner he saw them. A half dead trooper lay in the ground. The other kneeled beside him, his helmet off, which was a clear violation of protocol. It was as if he was asking for Anakin to finish him. The trooper stood as he saw him.

An expression of utter fear spread across his face. Which surprised Anakin somewhat as he wasn't wearing the suit.

"P-Please don't tell anyone, I can't feel bad for him dyeing" he spluttered.

Anakin sighed. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to snap the young boy's neck. Or so he thought. Something tugged at the humanity he thought had long since died, urging him to spare the kid. He sobbed and looked down towards his fallen comrade, who had by now taken his last breadth.

" Fine, I won't" Anakin said.

" Oh thank you! You don't want to know about the kinds of punishments they give here." The boy gushed.

That was ironic, Anakin thought as an image of him choking a senior imperial general in front of all of his men flashed though his mind. But the thought was quick to pass; he needed this boy out of his way. Gathering the force around him, he -strongly urged- the trooper in front of him to fall asleep. Which he promptly did. Anakin shook his head, since when had he become so soft? At one point he would have eliminated that trooper where he stood without saying a word simply because it would have been more efficient. Shrugging, he grabbed the dead trooper and hauled him into a service closet nearby. Then he pain-stakingly dismantled the armor, (which had almost as many small and unnecessary pieces as Anakin's old suit had) and began to put it on. Finally, he fastened the helmet to his head and stepped back into the corridor. He couldn't help but groan, the design had somehow managed to facilitate for an even worse field of vision his old mask had allowed him.

"I can't see a thing in this helmet"

He muttered to himself as he shoved the compartment closed.

At least it didn't stick needles into his skin like his old suit did. Another 'boom' emanated in the distance. The ground rattled. He nearly fell over but managed to lean against the wall for support, cursing in Huttese while doing so. This place was falling to pieces around him. He ambled aimlessly down another long corridor. What even was this place? Why was it so run down? He grabbed his helmet and tried to pull it down further so he could see better though the lenses.

Suddenly, a squad of stormtroopers rushed out of a door to his right and hurried down the corridor. Anakin quickly caught up with them and fell in line. They didn't seem to mind in the least, annoyingly enough. For all they knew he could be a spy or agent and they just let him join up with them without a second glance, which, if he were in charge would have merited severe reprimands. He could feel a quiet panic floating in the air around the troopers. Something was definitely wrong here. But on the bright side, at least now he wouldn't have to wander aimlessly through this absurdly large... Place? They rounded several sharp corners and marched straight for a pair of large auto-doors at the end of the hallway.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. But this time it wasn't an explosion that halted him. He felt an overwhelmingly angry force presence approaching much too quickly. It roared like a burning forest fire, ready to engulf and burn down anything it came across. It was behind those doors. He couldn't leave now, the troopers would think him a traitor and gun him down. Not that he couldn't handle them, but he was without his light saber and if whatever was beyond those doors decided to get involved he doubted he would last long.

But fate, it seemed, decided to intervene. Before the squad could even reach the doors they flew open and a tall black-clad monster stormed down the hallway right for Anakin. He had a red light saber in his hands, with a cross guard at the hilt. Something Anakin had never seen anyone wield before. Before he did anything he drew up his force shields, hoping that the stranger hadn't picked up on his force presence.

Despite that the black-clad man barreled down the hallway, he was staring Anakin dead in the eye, or where his eyes would be if he weren't wearing a helmet.

"You." He thundered.

Anakin wouldn't hide from him, if he knew who he was then Anakin would just have to accept whatever came after.

"With me"

He stormed past Anakin and the rest if the troopers, who all saluted in unison.

"Yes Kylo Ren, my Lord!" They said as one before marching off behind him.


	2. The search

Anakin and the stormtroopers followed what he considered to be a giant ball of furious, uncontrolled rage back down the corridor. He could feel the troopers fear. He didn't even need the force to sense the terrified energy practically choking everyone around this Kylo Ren. He stayed near the back of the group, as far away from Kylo as possible without breaking protocol, if he ran now he would be killed. 

Kylo burst through a set of auto-doors and into a cramped laboratory. It was full of odd machines and control panels. Every single table and shelf in the room was littered with datapads, vials and foreign gadgets. Yet despite its cluttered nature it was undoubtably the most clean and advanced room Anakin had seen.

Kylo stormed over to a scientist with a short cropped beard and a graying brush over. Anakin could see a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.

"Where is he? How did he escape?!" Kylo bellowed. Anakin noted the cold tone the vocoder added to the mans voice, not that it was nearly as impressive as Anakins vocoder 

"My lord, I, I'm not sure. I understand that Captian Phasma is sweeping the entire facility for him and the traitors as we speak!" 

"And Vader?" Kylo said in a quite, threatening tone.

"Um, w-we are unsure of his location, sir"

"What?! He's gone?! Where!? Who took him!?"

The scientist adjusted his glasses and glanced around the room nervously. 

"He uh, w-we believe he has woken up, um independently, sir"

"You said they would only awaken when I commanded it" Kylo whispered dangerously.

"Y-yes sir, that's what's- that was how it was d-designed"

Silence. Anakin felt a spike of fear from everyone in the force. He waited for the sith to cut down the scientist. But instead Kylo simply turned, and screamed. He ignited his lightsaber and furiously tore through the table in front of him. The troopers all stepped back together as Kylos swung his lightsaber furiously. Anakin shook his head. What a baby. What sort of man, who was weilding a red (as in Sith) lightsaber by the way, breaks up a table like a small child instead of dealing out due punishment to his subordinates? But to his surprise it seemed to scare those around him more. The scientist slinked behind a large machine as bits of table and datapads scored through the air. 

After several minutes of blind hacking, Kylo suddenly stopped. He turned on his heel towards the exit. 

"I want his face sent out to all of my commanding officers. They are abandon the fight with the traitors and sweep the facility for Vader! I want him alive and unharmed!" 

"But my lo-" the scientist began.

"I don't care! Let them escape."

He thundered towards the exit. The troopers hurriedly followed. Anakin didn't know whether to be angry or afriad that this man seemed to put so much priority in him. No, he was never afraid. Darth Vader, second in command of the entire galaxy, would not be threatened by this, this child. Either way he had to get out of here before anyone figured out who he was (which would be considerably more difficult since soon everyone would know his face.)

He quickly followed the rest of the troopers out the door and to wherever they were going next. The first chance he got, he was leaving, no questions asked. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kylo stormed towards the command centre. After all these months of careful planning. After painstakingly hiding his every movement from Snoke. After travelling halfway across the galaxy and back to find any small scrape of DNA of his grandfather he could find. After everything, he couldn't allow it to end like this! He had waited to long. Worked to hard damn it! If only he hadn't agreed with Hux to bring back that other republican relic they would never be in this situation!

He burst threw the command centers entrance, to the surprise of several officers. Hux stood in the centre of the room, arms clasped firmly behind his back. As calm and composed as ever.

"You said this wouldn't happen!" Kylo spat. 

"Well, it has and we will deal with it" Hux responded cooly.

"They will destroy the facility and we will lose everything."

Hux shook his head. He turned to face Kylo and looked at him as though he were an inconsiderate child. 

"I'm sure your grandfather can get out safe enough on his own, if his reputation is anything to go by" he said slowly, almost dismissively.

Kylo blushed. He wasn't supposed to care about his granddad so saftey so much. He was a Sith Lord. Sith Lords didn't care about the safety of other people. Yet Hux read him like a book. 

After a few moments of silence Hux walked up to him.

"We have to leave" he said calmly.

"What about all of our research?"

"We got what we wanted, we don't need it anymore." 

Hux was right, this would save them having to destroy all the had learned later. No one could learn what they had. But if his grandfather died with the facility what was the point? All of that research would be for nothing. He would have nothing to show for his work. Not to mention that their other subject had already shown them just how 'loyal' they intended to be, meaning that after all this they would get another enemy and not an ally.

"I'm not leaving without him" He threatened.

Hux sighed and stared at Kylo for a few moments. His steely eyes analysing him with all the scrutiny he expected of an imperial Moff. His eyes grew slightly softer for a moment, before they returned to their normal, indefferent gaze. He inclined towards a young female officer.

"Have you found any hint as to Vaders location?" 

"Sir, all security cameras were disabled when the traitors hacked into our mainframe, we did however find feed of a man fitting Vaders build acquiring a stormtroopers armour on corridor C-6" 

He was in disguise?! Was he hiding? Kylo was shocked. Why would he want to hide form them? Didn't he know they were on his side? Did his grandfather think that he, Kylo ren, was a failure? One not even worthy of his recognition? The bubbling pit of anger inside him merged with fear, coiling around his chest like a snake choking the life out of its prey. This made things infinatly more difficult. He dug his nails into his lightsaber, Kylo was ready to start chopping into some more control panels. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"-we did however find feed of a man fitting vaders build acquiring a stormtroopers armour on corridor C-6"

Force! Force force force! They were going to make all the troopers remove their helmets, he knew it! Anakin clenched his rifle as hard as he could. And he was smack bang in the command centre with that big sith baby right beside him. The man was obsessed, and Anakin couldnt decide if it was because he hated him or loved him. He had to calm down, he was Lord Vader. He ruled as second in command to the entire galaxy for more than twenty years, supreme commander of the imperial navy. He was a Jedi knight, he had spent his whole life training for situations just like these. This would NOT get the better of him. Perhaps he had lost his touch, perhaps padme had softened him to the point where he could no longer handle anything other than Naboos rolling fields and her sweet laughter. No, that's not true. It must have been the drugs or nausea or whatever they had given him to bring him back to life that was messing with his head. He was a Sith Lord for force sake! 

He watched Hux lock eyes with Kylo. This was it, this would seal his fate.

"I'll order all troopers to evacuate."

"What if he is already dead?"

"I doubt a Sith Lord would have been one for long if he died in a simple crossfire"

"He could have! Order all the troops to remove their helmets"

"That will be unnecessary, Kylo this is now a war zone. I cant order our men to lay down their rifels and remove their helmets in the middle of a battle"

Anakin swore he heard Kylo huff under that mask. The sith turned to face Anakin and the other troopers. Kylo stared at them all. Anakin threw all his energy into upholding his force shields. The sith was prying, searching for a force sensitive among them. It seemed Anakin hadn't lost his touch, Kylo seemed to be satisfied that he wasn't there.

"Fine order the evacuation" he said, defeated.

Kylo pointed a gloved finger at the group.

"All of you, stay with me"


	3. Escape

They entered a large hangar, one side was completely open to the elements. A snowstorm outside blew a torrent of icy sleet unto all the ships and people rushing to and fro inside. The storm howled like a starving beast, Anakin noticed a dogfight outside. He could hear blaster shots in the distance. The roar of engines revving up filled the air. Pilots were racing towards unmanned tie fighters to join a fight of Tie-fighter on Tie-fighter.

A stormtrooper in platinum armour and a red cape approached Kylo. 

"My lord, neither side has gained the upper hand, but we are running out of resources" a strong female voice emminated from the suit.

"That doesn't matter captain, were leaving now."  
Kylo grumbled as he marched passed her.

Hoping to keep as much distance between him and Kylo as possible, Anakin waited by Hux , who approached the platinum trooper.

"Captian Phasma, we have ordered a full evacuation, have you not been informed?"

"No my lord, all coms are down."

Hux raised an eyebrow.

"Last I checked, communications were functional"

"The enemy is broadcasting frequency disrupters to all our troops. The only people who heard your evacuation call were the traitors"

Hux sighed and stroked his jaw. He glanced towards Kylo, who was carrying a squirming pilot out of an imperial ship on his shoulders. He threw the pilot on the ground and hurried the rest of the crew out. The pilot looked ready to protest, but he quickly came to his senses and scurried away form the sith. Kylo looked towards Hux and motioned for him to come over. Hux nodded in his direction, then turned his attention back towards Phasma. 

"Understood captain. Don't inform anyone of the evacuation who dosn't already know. And don't allow word to get to Kylo that the call didn't make it to our men." 

It seemed that no matter what age Anakin lived in, he observed, a game of cat and mouse was always being played. 

"Sir, our troopers?" Phasma questioned.

"If Kylo learns the call didn't get broadcast he won't leave. Trust me" Hux muttered. 

Anakin could hear the logic and that, it seemed like the only reason Kylo didn't stay stalking through the corridors of the facility looking for him was that he thought he would be evacuating with the rest of his forces.

Phamsa was silent for a moment.

"Yes sir!" She said with vigor. She saluted and marched away. 

Hux looked towards Anakin. He clasped his arms bend his back and looked him over. Anakin quickly realised that he was the only stormtrooper who had not followed Kylo into the ship.  
But that didn't seem to bother Hux, nodded at him and walked towards kylo, who was inside his new ship.

Anakin waited. He hadn't specifically ORDERED him to follow. Did he know who he was? Or did he just not care? He reached into the force and brushed against Hux's mind. It was running wild with possible scenarios, many of which seemed to focus on dealing with a pale bald man after the battle. Fear and ambition were making the gears in his head turn faster and faster. The emporer would have liked him, Anakin mused. Hux seemed completely engrossed on leaving, and he didn't seem to care one way or another if Vader left with him,

In short, whether he know who that Anakin was there or not, he didn't care. He was not a priority to Hux, thank the force. At least one person in this facility had their head screwed on straight. Anakin took Hux's disregard for him as an excuse to not board that ship with the wanna-be sith.

He looked around, he couldn't stand here idly forever. Maybe he could commandeer one of those fighters. Even if the standard Tie-fighter had no shielding or long distance flight abilities, it was a start. 

He found an empty fighter and opened the cockpit.

"Trooper! What do you think you are doing? Pilots only!"

Anakin turned to see a blonde haired officer staring at him, with a rather appealed look on his face. He didnt have time to negotiate, but it wasn't as though he could knock him out with the force with so many people around. And mind control wasn't exactly his strong suit, he always considered it to be cheating. 

But before he could do anything, out of nowhere a large flaming ship blasted into the hangar. It skidded along the ground with a ear-bleeding lay loud skreech and rammed into the back wall. A small explosion erupted from the ships engine. Sparks danced along the hull. 

Anakin narrowed his eyes. That ship was strikingly familiar. Was that the millennium falcon? That blasted ship that he had spent years tracking!? 

"Why haven't they called for an evacuation yet?" The officer beside him shrieked. 

Anakin had had enough. He pushed the officer down to the ground and stormed towards the falcon. 

"I am your commanding officer, you can't do that! Trooper! Get back here!

Ignoring him, he glanced toward kylo's ship, which still hadn't taken off. He saw Kylo emerge from inside the ship. Something about the mellinium falcon had thrown the Sith off. Hux rushed out and started arguing with him, probably trying to get him to return to the ship. But Kylo was on a clear cut course straight for the falcon.

Then things got weirder. A very old Han Solo clambered out of the ship. What year was this? Anakin felt a burst of strength surge through his veins. If Han was there, was Luke there too? Was he even still alive? He had to ask.

"Ben!" Solo threatened.

"Don't call me that!" Kylo shouted. He ignited his lightsaber. 

Although, maybe this wasn't a good moment to ask. He kept his quiet and watched from a relative distance. The emporer had always taught him to observe before acting, and his trials in Mustafar had literally burned that lesson into his skin.

"Ben, come with me I can help you!" Solo begged.

The wookie was next to climb out of the ship. He limped to Solo's side.

"I hate you!" Kylo shouted. "You dont understand and you never will."

Then a woman with brown hair climbed out of the falcon. How many people were in there? Was Luke one of them?

Anakin snuck towards the ship, captain solo could handle his own problems. Luke, his son, was far more important. He reached the entrance and peaked inside. It was dark, the power must have short-circuited.

"Hey!" The girl shouted.

He turned just in time to see her raise her raise her blaster. Solo and Kylo looked towards him. He was too slow, she fired a bolt at him he had no hope of dodging. He jerked his hand forward, absorbing the energy of the blaster bolt with the force. 

The girl looked stunned. She frowned then shot again but this time he was ready, he rolled out of the way. Two more blasts, he dodged one and absorbed the other into his palm.

It wasn't, however the trigger happy girl that was worrying him. It was the Sith, Kylo Ren, who he half expected to charge him there and then. What he wasn't expecting was for a hard knock against his back. He fell to the ground, the impact knocked his helmet off. A coloured man stood over him, he grabbed Anakins rifle and aimed it at him. He must have been hiding inside the ship.

"No! Grandfather!" Kylo screeched. 

The man above him hesitated, obviously confused. But certainatly not as confused as Anakin was.

"Finn wait! Grandfather?!" Solo shouted from behind kylo. Everybody looked completely stunned, unable to act. 

The words echoed inside Anakins mind. Grandfather? Was that boy talking about him? 

Kylo surged towards Finn. 

"You can't hurt him." He thundered. 

Kylo threw Finn away with the force. This upset the girl who took aim at Kylo.

Anakin watched as the he deflected the blast back into her shoulder. She yelled in pain and dropped her blaster. Kylo stalked between Anakin and Solo's crew.

"Kylo, Vader is dead" Han said slowly.

"Not anymore, he will teach me to wield the true power the dark side holds. Nothing you say will stop us" 

This boy was starting to become really big needle in Anakins' side. 

"Your time is up, father"

Kylo raised a gloved hand and with the force grabbed solo by the throat.

"No!" The girl got to her feet, despite her injuries she was ready to defend her Captian. Anakin was impressed. 

"Rey don't!" Finn shouted.

Then Anakin stood up, silently behind his apparant grandson. Rey charged but Kylo threw her away harmlessly with the force, Han hovered helplessly in the air, choking. Anakin had had enough of this nonsense. He picked up his helmet, at the same time ripping off kylos and swiftly knocked him over the head. Kylo collapsed to the ground with a thud. He was out cold. 

Han fell to the gorund, spluttering and choking. Desperate for air. Finn ran to him. But Rey, Rey glared at Anakin. He could only glare back at her. Finn helped Han to his feet, he heaved a laboured breadh and looked up at Anakin, his eyes narrowed.

"Vader?"

Anakin wasn't sure by his tone if it was a question or a statement. He also wasn't sure if he could lie anymore about who he was and get away with it. His face had been broadcast to who knows how many people in the base. How would solo react if he knew his identity? Could he find that charisma he held a life time ago in the clone wars, and use it to charm his way out of this? Maybe. After all, it was practically unheard of for someone to come back from the dead. 

He glance over at Rey who looked as though she was going to rip his head off if he was who she suspected. He could try, and if he succeeded he could snoop for clues about his children. Although if he failed they would probably leave him here to die with the the facility.

He cleared his throat, and tried to sound as bubbly and innocent as possible.

"Who's Vader? I don't know what you two were going on about. But I don't think a twenty one year old like me could have grandkids." He added in a small chuckle and a smile for good measure.

Everyone stared at him. He really wasn't used to having to convince people like this. And it showed, force it really showed.

"So what your a trooper?" Rey asked.

"Well, not exactly. I was their prisoner. I escaped in the chaos and Put this armour on so I could get out of here in one piece"

It was technically the truth, but he still wasn't quite sure if anyone was buying it. A heavy silence sat over them. He needed to push it more.

"I was hoping you could give me a lift away from this place, I did save you from ....him" 

He smiled again. Still, no one responded. Han looked utterly confused. But then that officer that Anakin knocked over earlier came over with a group of troopers.

"Arrest them!"

Rey, as if she had anticipated such an action, shot at the troopers immidatly and ran toward the ship. Finn helped Solo to his feet. 

"To the ship! Let's go!" 

"We aren't leaving with out Ben" Han mumbled weakly

"I got him!" Anakin shouted. 

He picked the man up and hauled him over his shoulder. He ran to the falcon as chewbacca lay down covering fire. Finn nodded at him as he reached the top of the ramp unto the ship. 

"Is this thing even flyable anymore?" Anakin asked, trying his best to sound his age.

"It will have to be" Finn said.

"I got it!" Rey yelled from the cockpit.

Then the lights flickered on and the ramp slid into place, the entrance closed and the engine hummed. Anakin frowned.

"How did she do that?" 

Finn only shrugged. He looked at Anakin as if this sort of thing happened on a regular basis and he just accepted it.

"What are ya waiting for kid? Let's go!" Han shouted towards the cockpit.

"Got it!" Rey replied.

Anakin handed Kylo over to Finn and headed for the cockpit. Rey sat in the pilots seat, she had been presumably been messing with a panel on the ceiling, which she had left unhinged. The mellinium shakily lifted off the ground. Anakin grabbed the wall for support. 

"Are you sure you know what you doing?" He questioned.

"Of course" she replied.

The ship swivelled around and the hangars exit came into view. Oh yeah, there was a giant battle waiting outside. Anakin had almost forgotten.

"I'm fine here! Get to the turret" 

Anakin scoffed, and leave her to fly this piece of junk through a warzone? Unlikely. He was after all, the best pilot of the clone wars.

"I don't think so" 

"I'll do it!" Finn said. Anakin heard him running towards wherever the turret on this ship was. 

"Maybe I should drive" Anakin said.

"In your dreams, Vader" Rey chuckled.

He was taken aback. 

"Don't call me that." He hissed.

She didn't answer. Rey was too busy flying them out of the hangar and into the middle of a dogfight in a snowstorm. 

Anakin shook his head. Stuck in the millennium kriffing falcon with Han Solo and his sith grandson. This was going to be fun.


	4. Confused in the dark

Rey could feel the stranger staring at the back of her head.

"Have you diverted power away form the damaged engine? Because if you haven't-"

"The ship will explode, I know" she rolled her eyes, why did she always get stuck with backseat drivers? He spoke with a deep, commanding and condescending tone she wasn't going to tolerate. It was almost as if everyone expected her to just hand over the pilots seat to the first person that came in. Just because she had no formal training didn't mean that she wasn't any good.

"Have you insured the excess energy won't sort circuit the ships systems?"

"Yes, I have"

"Have you checked all the systems to make sure nothing else is damaged?"

"Don't worry, I got it" Rey sighed.

"We are heading into a warzone, you should divert power to the shields."

"I have flown a ship before, you know"

Now the stranger sighed. She heard him shifting his stance.

"You should never leave a panel open like that" He remarked cooly. 

"We were in a bit of a hurry" she protested.

They had reached the outskirts of the battle. They had to stay clear of the more tense fighting at the core of the battle. All she had to do was fly around them and get into space. She hoped the fighters would be to busy fighting each other to pay attention to her.

"Ray slow down, I can't hit anyone!" Finn buzzed over the comm.

"We're not joining the battle" 

"Oh yeah? Tell that to the fighter on our tail" he insisted.

Great, they were minutes out of the hangar and already they were being chased. Well, she thought, resigning herself to the upcoming chase. If they couldn't shoot him she would have to shake him. Rey put her foot on the throttle and thrust the steering stick to the left, holding it there so the ship corkscrewed away. 

"I said slow down not speed up!" Finn yelled, so loud that she could hear his real voice booming through the ship.

"Hold on!" She replied.

She pulled the stick towards her, so they were flying straight up into the atmosphere. The tie fighter flew past them. She held the stick to her chest until the mellinium had done a full black flip in the air. Now she was behind him.

"Shoot him now!" 

Finn shot several blasts of energy towards the fighter. They clipped its wing, which exploded sending the Tie hurtling away. 

Adrenaline was pumping through her vains. She felt hot and cold all at the same time, part of her liked the thrill. She swiftly avoided another fighter by ducking beneath it. They were near the edge of the atmosphere now, she had almost done it. 

"Have we got anyone following us?" She asked Finn through the comm.

"Not that I can see. Can't you check that on one of the control panels?" 

Ray looked down at the plathora of buttons and lights below her. Sure enough, stuck between the emergency jettison and the lock was a small rectangular panel showing her a radar vision of the ships surroundings.

"Oh right, I was just checking to see if you were paying attention" she hummed. 

Within a few moments, they were finally were clear of that blasted ice ball of a planet. Rey flew out into the middle of the solar system, it wouldn't be wise to stay close to an imperial infested base for long.

The newest member of their team approached the viewport.

"I'm impressed" he stated as he crossed his arms.

She turned to look at him. Whatever it was about him, Rey didn't like it. The way he stood, gazing out of the viewport like he owned everything in front of him. Who was this man? Why did Kylo so desperatly want to save his life? And why had he called him grandfather of all things? The man didn't look more than a few years out of his teens. Maybe Kylo was mistaken. Maybe he was sick or drugged. But her guts told her something different. Sure he looked like a twenty year old. But he commanded the presence of someone who had spent a lifetime managing others, he almost seemed like a war veteran.

"What planet is that?" He asked.

"It's Nova prime" she said rather quickly, she had some more important questions to ask.

"Who are you?" She asked, letting her distrust for him drip from every word.

He didn't say anything, he just looked out of the viewport with no expression on his face. The seconds ticked by and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to answer her at all.

"I don't know anymore" he replied distantly, as if his words held some great meaning she couldn't comprehend.

His eyes flicked between the icy planet and the fiery sun it orbited. 

What a sore excuse for an answer, did he think she would be satisfied with that? She glared at him and opened her mouth to argue. But he got the first word in.

"Where are we going next?" He asked, swiftly steering the conversation in a different direction.

"I don't know, Han was going to take us to one of his friends, but now that we have Kylo he mightn't think thats good idea anymore" she said, trying her best to be as vague as possible. 

The stranger nodded. But he didn't seem to be listening to anything she was saying. Then his face softened, as if he had come to some sort of decision. He turned to her.

"You can call me Anakin, if you want"

He smiled, but still appeared unsure about himself. Something told her that there was a lot more going on beneath the surface that she didn't understand. She would have to be careful around him.

"Alright, Anakin. Welcome aboard"

Another awkward silence.

"Thankyou. Im going to go see if I did any permanent damage to this Ben kid" he replied, his tone suddenly much lighter. 

Reys mind wandered back to the Sith Lord now in their captivity. Kylo, yes. Maybe when he woke up he could fill everyone in on who exactly this Anakin was.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He woke with a thumping headache, staring at the ceiling, with glassy eyes and hazy vision. Wait, wasn't he just on Nova prime? His thoughts swam around his head aimlessly. He looked around the small room. This certainatly wasn't his secret base. It didn't wreak of oil. Kylo put a hand to his forehead and tried to gather his thoughts. He had been in the base. There was a battle. He had been searching for someone. He remembered seeing his father. A burst of anger erupted inside of him. But then it quietened. He hadn't been angry, he was.... Happy? No, vengful. Then he remembered it. The stormtrooper falling over. The helmet coming lose and banging agains the floor. Then, his face. 

Grandfather! He had found him. He was going to show his loyalty to him. He was going to end his fathers life there and then in the method Vader was famous for, asphyxiation. They were going to escape, he was going to become Vaders apprentice and they were going to overthrow Snoke and retake the galaxy in the name of the first order! They were going to rule together. He was so happy. He had been overcome with vengeful lust. He couldn't wait to finally get back at his parents. For not understanding, for never understanding. The dark side was singing praise of his soon to be aquired power.

Then, nothing. He couldn't remember anything else. He briefly remembered someone pulling his helmet off, but after that? Nothing. He sat up in his bed to see his father sitting on a container opposite him. 

"You're awake" he stated.

This had not been the person Kylo had expected to see looking over him. He snarled at him like an angry dog.

"What do you want, father?"

Han looked into his eyes. His face grew solem as he poured false meaning into his stare. 

"I want you to come home" 

Kylo scoffed, come home to what? A seperated family. Where his mother fought against the very organisation he helped found. Where his father hid away from their failed marriage in the outer rim, smuggeling. There was nothing they could offer to him. Not anymore, not ever. He didn't need them. In fact, he didn't even care that they were seperated. He repeated the words in his head. He didn't care. He didn't care. He only cared about the dark side.

"My home dosnt lie with you" 

Han rubbed his palms against his thighs uncomfortably. 

"This isn't what you really want, is it?"

"Dont pretend to know what I really want" he growled.

Han looked at him the same way he looked at the broken parts of the falcon he always pretended he had fixed.  
An uneasy silence settled on the air around them. It was broken by the sound of the door whizzing open.

"Is he awake?" A deep voice said from the hallway.

Han looked over his shoulder at him and nodded.

Then Vader walked in, he was still in that stormtrooper armour.

"Grandfather!" Kylo exclaimed.

Vader looked him over. He didn't seem at all happy.

"You are the son of Leia Organa?" He questioned. His voice a deep baritone.

"Yes. She was your daughter." Kylo replied quickly. 

Vader observed him silently. Han between them, a deep frown slowly inching its way along his brow.

"And who are you? Why does my son keep calling you grandfather?" Han asked angrily.

Vader turned to face him. 

"I do not believe I have all the answers you seek. I awoke in a strange facility, in the middle of a battle. I have no idea how I got there"

The both of them looked over at Kylo, expecting some sort of explanation. He looked at Vader, he would speak to him, his new master. Not solo.

"I discovered an ancient artefact on korriban that seeped a green liquid. I took it in secret, and had it examined by my most trusted men. We discovered that the liquid had the ability to create life, to heal life. If you put a creatures DNA into a sizeable amout of it, it would begin to create them, they grew until they reached their prime then just existed"

"Their prime?" Vader raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, usually your early adult life. We set up a research centre on Nova prime, because it was remote and inhospitable, and we knew Snoke wouldn't find us there"

Vader still looked puzzled.

"Who is this Snoke?"

"He is a Sith Lord, I'm his apprentice, I was. Now I'm your apprentice"

"You are nothing of mine unless I permit it" 

Vaders confusion transformed into anger. He glared at Kylo, but Kylo didn't understand what was wrong. Why did he despise him so much? Before he could say anything Han jutted in

"So what, you just decided to 'grow' yourself a new sith master?! And your granddad of all people?!" Han hissed. He looked just as annoyed, if not more annoyed than Vader.

Kylo stood up. He was angry now too.

"He was the greatest Sith Lord to have ever existed!" 

Vader scoffed. He Looked at Kylo and began to chuckle. 

"What's so funny? Vader?" Han asked with stiff aggression, as if he thought he could stand up to the man.

But Vader ignored him (as he should) and looked at Kylo. 

"If you believe me to be the greatest Sith Lord then you mustn't have done any research" 

Now Kylo was the puzzled one. Vader shook his head with a sad smile. 

"Maybe you should listen to your father. "

Now both Kylo and Han were stunned. Han stood, looking slack-jawed at Vader. He slowly turned his attention towards Kylo. As if he was hoping Vaders advice would turn him around to his foolish way of thinking.

But Kylo couldn't understand what he was hearing, was this a test? Surely Vader didn't want him to turn his back on the dark side, on all he had learned? It had to be a test, there was no other explanation for it.

"I will listen only to you, master." Kylo said, as composed and he could manage.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I will listen only to you, master." Kylo said. Was child serious? It was if he looked up to Anakin as if he were some sort of God. Perhaps once, a life time ago he would have liked the attention. But now it only annoyed him. Well that, and the entire situation he found himself in. This place was beyond confusing. He had no idea where his children were, his GRANDSON was a SITH LORD and he had just somehow been brought back to life by some black magic Sith artefact?! Not to mention the fact that everyone he knew were now older than he had been last time he was alive. 

How in the galaxy had this happened? His grandson, a Sith Lord?!?!?! Vader and sidious were the only Sith Lords alive, and he had insured neither of them survived the assault on the Death Star. So whoever was training his grandson was not a true Sith, that was certain.

"Do not pretend to be my apprentice, boy" Anakin barked. He had lost the small amount of patience he had. What had happened? Luke would have never let this happen. Was he injured? Was Leia injured? The roaring dragon inside him suddenly came to life. Their dead! It thundered. And it's all your fault because you weren't there to save them! 

Kylo looked utterly confused. Whatever he had been expecting, this hadn't been it.

"Have I done something wrong?" He asked.

Anakin wasn't really listening to him though. He was too busy trying to fight back the darkness that was begging him to be set free. Begging him to just, let it in. Just let it give him the sweet release the dark side promised. Clawing at even the smallest worries suddenly plaguing him. This was all way to much. He could feel his anger boiling over.

"How would I know? I've been dead for the past two decades" he spat.

He couldn't take this anymore. These people were crazy. He stormed out of the room and towards the refresher. He wanted to run away, run away from here and from the sneaking suspicion that everything hadn't been perfect for his children after he insured neither him nor the emporer could touch them.


	5. Revelations

Anakin clenched the small sink in the refresher with his large hands. He stared at the face in the mirror, the almost forgotten entity his being now inhabited. This wasn't his face, his body. He didn't deserve it, so many failures shadowed his very existance, the blood of so many stained his mind. Her blood. This was the face of a man who had given up everything, devoted his very existance to the thing he swore to destroy, sacrificed his life, his friends, his very soul just to save the woman he loved, and still he failed. He always failed. Every. Single. Time. 

His mother, he had sworn to himself to come back for her, to save her. To give her the life she deserved. But he failed. His Palawan left him because he couldn't protect her from a stupid conspiracy he should have been able to see through,he hunted her so far and for so long that she could do nothing but run, run from the order and from him, he had failed her. He had failed his friends on Tattoine who he promised to free. He had failed his children for not realising their existance for so long. He had hadnt saved Padme, he let her die. No, he helped her die! He failed her, even after he swore to protect those he loved at his own mothers grave! Still he failed! Failed! failed! Now he had failed to protect his children too! Even after sacrificing his own life for them he couldn't insure their safety!

The basin cracked underneath his strength. He deserved his old, destroyed body. He should be locked back into that suit and forced to exist within it for an eternity for what he had done, for what he failed to do. This face, this pretty facade that held such and ugly monster within, he couldn't stand to look at it! He pushed his eyes towards the sink, analysed the texture of the tap, of the durasteel basin, of anything, anything but those sky blue eyes so much like his sons.

He took a deep breadth, and exhaled shakily. His son. He remembered Lukes shimmering, no blindingly bright presence in the force. He was so... honest. So righful. so ready to save those who didn't deserve to be saved. So much like his mother. 

He had to calm down, he was getting ahead of himself. Finding his children, and insuring their safety was his first priority, he had to keep them safe, for her. But just because they weren't here didn't mean they were in trouble. Just because his grandson was a Sith Lord didn't mean he had carried out the atrocities Vader had when he turned. He was overreacting. All was not lost yet.

Then he felt a ripple in the force, the signature of someone who had died long before he had. it rushed together. Spiraling around an entity whose physical was being created behind him.

"Enjoying your new lease of life I see?" 

He recognised that unmistakeably sarcastic voice almost immidatly. Kenobi, the traitor, who left him to die in agony on a blackened beach on Mustafar. He sighed. Why did he have to further worsen his already depressing existance even more? Was he so bitter over their last encounter that he felt the need to exact such petty revenge?

"I am in no mood for your idle chatter, old man" he replied, not looking up from the basin.

"Oh I can imagine. But you should never allow your emotions to cloud your judgement" kenobi replied smoothly. 

He dug his fingers into the rim of the sink. He would not allow kenobi to get a rise out of him. He closed his eyes briefly, then turned to face the shimmering ghost behind him. Kenobi had taken his younger form, the form Anakin had known best. With a neat beard and closely trimmed hair. A far shot from the hermit he had defeated on bored the Death Star. 

"Honestly I'm rather jealous. What I wouldn't give to be back in my younger body."

"It's not as fun as it looks" Anakin replied dryly.

Kenobi's lips grew into a nostalgic smile. He was emminting beems of happiness through the force. He really was enjoying his suffering wasn't he? The Jedi spent all their time preaching about forgiveness and empathy and here was Obi-wan Kenobi, probably the most zealous Jedi Anakin and come across, revelling in another's Despair.

"What do you want from me?" He grunted, hopeing he could push kenobi past the unnecessarily long conversation the man would no doubt be content to have.

Obi-wan sighed as Anakin swiftly pushed to the point. His tone became more solem. The nostalgia warped into something akin to Sadness.

"I don't want anything from you, Anakin." 

"Then why are you here? To belittle me?" 

"Of course not" said softly. 

Anakin crossed his arms on his chest and let the silence speak for him. It was all kenobi needed to continue his speech.

"I merely thought to see how you were getting along in the new world" he replied, his tone hinted at mild frustration. Anakin scoffed. more half truths, He imagined.

"Have you seen enough?" 

"I think the more important question is, have you?" 

Beating around the bush again it seemed. If one thing was true about the Jedi, it was that they rarely changed their methods. He felt anger rising in his chest. How stupid must he have been to once have called this man his friend? Kenobi had smothered him in nothing but Jedi riddles and lies. And now he was going to try to do it again.

"What do you mean?" He barked impatiently.

But Kenobi seemed unphased by Anakins worsening temper. 

"If you hadn't spent the last two decades hidden away with padme maybe we wouldn't need to be having this conversation" He quipped.

If his goal was to turn him back into a Sith he was defiantly starting to succeed. 

"So what are you here to tell me?" he hissed. 

Kenobi shook his head and sighed

"My point is, that this time is a very different one than we inhabited. There are many unforeseen forces at work that may not be visible at first glance" then kenobi a eyes grew soft "I don't want to see you get hurt." He added after a short pause.

"And I presume you don't want it bad enough to tell me who these 'unforeseen forces' are?"

"I don't have the answers to everything, Anakin, I understand little more than you do" 

He never could give a straight answer could he? Anakin sighed inwardly. Maybe if he tried he could squeeze some information from his old master.

There was a long pause as both men analysed each other. Eventually, Anakin sighed and leaned against the sink.

"So, what do you suggest I do?"

Kenobi seemed somewhat relieved at his now less aggressive stance, not that Anakin felt in any way inclined towards the old man. Kenobi slowly paced to the other side of the small refresher.

"Well, for a start I did happen to overhear a certain conversation earlier between the Solo's and yourself, and a rather large uncertainty became very obvious very quickly"

More unnecessary information Anakin didn't need to hear, why couldn't he just get to the point?

"Please, enlighten me" Anakin said sarcastically.

"Kylo stated that in order to bring you and your mystery partner back to life, he used a Sith artifact that seeped an odd liquid"

"He did he yes" Anakin affirmed.

"Yet, he failed to specify where this artifact is, or in who's hands it lies" 

Anakin frowned. Kenobi was right, Anakin had been so caught up in his own emotions he hadn't interrogated the boy effectively. Another failure.

"We also don't know how many people they brought back to life, or who they are. You and the traitor may not be the only ones they have resurrected with this device"

"And I presume when you say 'we' you mean me, I don't know" Anakin grunted.

Another sigh from the ghost. 

"I don't know much more than you, you must believe me"

Anakin shook his head, arguing the point further would be useless. Kenobi would be as evasive as ever with him. He wasn't going to hide in the refresher, speaking to a dead man when he could be out getting the answers he needed.

"Very well, old man. If that's all you came here to say, I will take my leave"

Kenobi nodded, and Anakin walked out of the refresher and into the corridor. However much he despised the man, he was right. Kylo hadn't given him all the pieces to the puzzle. He may very well need that information when he left to find his children.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He could feel the tension in the ship still. An odd, uneasy quiteness hung in the air. But Anakin payed it no heed. He could sense Kylo in the main room on the ship. So he headed there, intent on getting his questions answered. He rounded the corridor into the room. Kylo sat alone, by the holochess set. Looking as dejected as ever. Anakin nearly rolled his eyes again. 

He walked over and sat into the seat opposite Kylo. The boy looked up, the force wrung nervous anticipation from him. For once, he decided that perhaps he would need to be careful how he approached the boy. From what he had seen on the base, Kylo was running on a very short fuse. He wasnt going to end up stuck in a small ship with an enraged Sith Lord running about try to kill him, or anyone else for that matter. 

"Have they told you where the ship is headed?" He asked as he clasped his hands together and rested them on the holochess board.

"They won't tell me anything" he muttered angerly. 

Not surprising. What was surprising though was that Solo had allowed the boy to roam freely about the ship. He did appear to be their enemy, after all. 

"what should we do?" Kylo asked, his voice filled with anticipation, Anakin felt anxious excitement seeping through he siths Force shield. 

"It is to early for that, boy" he commented.

Anakin pondered how he should phrase his questions. He wasn't exactly used to dancing around another's emotions. His expertise lied in breaking them, so the interrogated would cry out their knowledge in the hopes that he would end their suffering. 

Kylo looked at him expectadantly. There was that look again. That look that made Anakin feel like he was some sort of reverent being to the boy. It was unsettling. He had to find a way to get him to stop looking at him like that.

"I was wondering..." He began slowly, trying to sound somewhat casual. "Where is the sith artifact now?" His tone came out harsh at the end, despite his genuine efforts to the contrary.

"Hux had it transported to the Starkiller base after we had enough liquid to reanimate two humans. It will be safe there."

The Starkiller base, that didn't sound at all inviting. 

"Who was the other?"

Kylos' face grew sour at the mention. For a moment Anakin feared he was going to ignite his lightsaber and cut through the holochess board.

"The traitor? Some senator from the clone wars who couldn't even use the force, It was Hux's idea" He said bitterly.

"Grandfather, do you think we should leave? We don't know where they're taking us"  
Kylo asked innocently. 

Kylo obviously didn't seem to understand the importance of the information he held. Anakins mind ran though dead clone wars senators, but he couldn't think of anyone a they would consider valuable enough to bring back. Unless.... No it couldn't be. Did they know about his relationship with Padme? Did Hux have her brought back so he could later use her as blackmail against him? As a leash to control him with?

His blood went cold. If they knew.... if they brought her back. If they hurt her.....

A sudden burning urgency ignited inside him.

"Who was the other they brought back boy? I want a name!" He barked.

Kylo seemed taken aback by his sudden flare of anger. Anakin had unknowingly closed the distance between them. He had rushed forward and was now leaning over the holochess table and pushing the weight of his large frame towards Kylo. 

"I- he was old, when we were reanimating him, he wouldn't stop aging until he reached his fifties, maybe even older. I don't remember his name, he shouldn't have been brought back anyway, he only betrayed us." Kylo said, trying his best to keep his composure as an his grandfather seethed over him.

'He' not 'she'. It mustn't be Padme. He relaxed somewhat, and leaned back in his seat. Kylo still hadnt given him a name though.

"you must know his name"

Kylo looked down at his lap, he frowned as if trying to remember some unnecessary detail he would have usually forgotten. Honestly Anakin was one wrong turn from flinging his arms into the air and going back to the refresher there and then. How could he not remember? He had literally brought the man back from the dead! Perhaps Kenobi was deceitful, but at least he knew what he was talking about.

Kylo looked up, his brow still furrowed.

"Pal-... Palpatine?" Kylo finally asked rather than answered.

Palpatine? Did he mean Darth Sidious, the freaking emperor Palpatine?! 

Anakin didn't know which was worse, the fact that the emporer was alive, or that his grandson was completely ignorent of his true identity. He was assaulted with a torrent of emotions. Furious Frustration at his grandson for not informing him of this sooner. Bitter anger that not only was his master still alive, but that by simply existing he had SOMEHOW managed to crawl back into the top three on his list problems. But The strongest emotion hit him last, a blood curdling explosion of fear erupted in his stomach, and sent numbing shockwaves through his body. 

If Sidious was alive, he would no doubt be looking for revenge. Anakin had toppled his two decade long galactic wide rule, knowing Sidious, and siths in general, he would be eager to make him suffer. And there would be no better way he hurt Anakin than by hurting is family.

"Grandfather, are you alright?" Kylo asked, completely unaware of the revelation he had just divulged. 

Anakin took a deep breadth. The dark side whispered promises of power in his ear, power that would help him destroy Palpatine. He tried to ignore it. 

He took a long look at his grandson.

"Kylo, do you mean chancellor Palpatine, of Naboo?" He asked as he struggled to contain himself.

"I believe so, Hux said he would help us rebuild the Empire, but he wouldn't tell me how, or why"

Anakin scoffed at the boys ignorance. For one who planned to 'rebuild the Empire' he surely knew laughably little about it.

"Are you not aware of the Emporers identity, boy?" 

Kylos face hardened.

"I don't care about the emporer. He was a mere figurehead, and old man too weak to hold a lightsaber, ignorent of the force. You were the real power behind the Empire grandfather. You ruled from the background, like so many powerful Sith have done before you."

Anakin almost burst out laughing. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How had so much knowledge been lost in a few mere decades?

'Remember Anakin, few beside yourself knew of the the Emporers true power, it is not surprising that his secret was never revealed to the masses' Kenobi echoed inside his mind.

He groaned inwardly, was Kenobi intent on spillng his unwanted observations on Anakin forever? He remembered their last duel.

'I will become more powerful that you could ever imagine.' 

Apparently he intended to use this power to make Anakin as miserable as possible by haunting him for eternity.

'You better not make it a habit of speaking to me in this manner, old man' 

He shifted his gaze back to the real world, back unto Kylo. He almost felt pity for the boy. He was so blind. He very nearly rememinded him of himself when he was younger.

"Kylo," he began, unsure of how to approach the subject "The Emporer is much more powerful than you have perceived" he started."did you meet him after he awoke?"

Kylo shook his head.

"I was not there when he gained consciousness, Hux said it was about a week ago"

So Sidious had awoken a week before him, and within that time had decided that he needed to cause a rift within these new age imperials, he had presumably incited a group of imperials to turn on their leaders and destroy their base. Did he want to find the artifact, and use it for himself perhaps? What was his old master planning?

"Do you know what prompted him to turn on you?" Anakin asked, hoping Kylo could shine more light on the situation.

Kylo's face turned bitter. At least his grandson seemed to dislike Sidious as much he did.

"No. He seemed to only want to help us, this attack came out of nowhere" he pouted.

It was a typical tactic if his masters. Lull the target into a false sense of security, make them thrust him, then use his trust to manipulate two sides against each other for his own gain. The same method he had used manipulate him,and the entire Republic. Pulled off once more without a hitch, even if it was on a much smaller scale.

Anakin reached out into the force, asking it to show him the possible destinies before him. He could sense their existance, see the start of each path. He felt mixed emotions down each one, but they waere blurry, distorted. Every path reached out into a bleak, smoggy nothingness that was impossible to see through. Then, from the back of his mind Black spirialing plumes of smoke reached out and billowed around him, forcing him to look away, he couldn't even see the bigennings of the paths now. Stumbling through the pitch black nothingness as he struggled to gain control. To try to find his destinies again. But they were lost, lost to the darkness.

He shook his head. His masters awakening was causing ripples of darkness through the force, now that he had been made aware of it, the darkness seemed to surround him. He felt cold. 

Sidious had awoken before him, and so he could only presume that he knew of his identity. And he could only presume that his master was already scheming, had already devised a plan and was already one step ahead of him. Had ran the race before Anakin even knew there was one.

He raised is hands to his head and rested his face against his palms. Everything suddenly became much more urgent. He had to find his children before Palpatine, he would not let him manipulate his offspring into a half-life of servitude and pain like he had done to him. He could not. He won't fail again, he won't fail her again.


	6. Wait, what's the destination?

Hux had always been an Imperial man. As a boy he couldn't help but look up to the brave soldiers in white keeping order throughout the Galaxy. He loved the clean, crisp ship designs coupled with the equally crisp, practical uniforms worn by those on board. He adored the towering AT-ATs and the roar of Tie-fighters. He even used to organise his desk in his room as though it was his office, complete with fake battle plans to issue to his troopers. 

As he grew into adolescence, he became further ingrossed in imperial ideals and politics. They were brutally efficient by design, decisively absolute in their tactics. They brought order and control to places that before, were lost in chaos. They brought unity to the ununified. Civilization the uncivilised. They brought dignity to those who would think it apt to live like animals in the forest. And best of all, they weren't afraid to enforce their ideals. They didn't shy away from doing what had to be done to bring the Galaxy to heel. There was no one Hux hated more than those who allowed their short sighted morals to get in the way to true progress. 

And now, the embodiment of the Empires design, of everything Hux hoped to revive was alive. He could hardly surpress the smile growing on his face. The Emperor was here. 

"Sir, we will be exiting light-speed any moment now" The pilot commented from the cockpit of the lambda class shuttle. 

"Very good, bring us in" Hux affirmed, easily allowing his well versed 'commander' persona to hide his childlike excitement

He would be meeting with the man who had brought ultimate order and control to the Galaxy within the hour. Hux couldn't help but grin. The Emporer! Alive! It's true, Hux had been more than sceptical when Kylo came to him with the old rusted artifact from some ancient Sith planet. He had thought it nothing more than another futile attempt on the siths part to revive his dead grandad. Kylo seemed to class the man as some sort of God who had actually ruled the Galaxy.

Hux scoffed to himself just thinking about it, unlike Kylo Hux had been maticulously studying Imperial documents since he was a boy and one thing was very clear, the Emporer truly owned the Empire and nothing Vader or the Moffs or that sham of a senate said held any true sway.

But as they began testing the liquid, it's true power became apparant very quickly. Entire beings would form and grow as if inside their mothers womb, one didn't even need to facilitate to their needs. They didn't eat, drink or breathe. Within months a microscopic cluster of cells would grow into a fully grown entity. It was in shot, astounding. Beyond astounding. Hux could see endless possibilities for its use.

The shuttle abruptly exited light speed and began to make its decent into Tatooine's atmosphere. Hux heaved a heavy sigh, he had never been to Tatooine before, and had hoped to never have to grace that wretched planet with his presence. He didn't know why this was where the Emporer insisted they go. It was an odd choice of planet to rendezvous at, further away than many other, just as viable planets to meet at. Pathetically poor. Sparsely populated. Devoid of resources. Unforgivably hot. A haven for low lives, and worst of all, governed by Hutts. But he would make an exception for his Emperor. 

Hux had no idea what exactly Palpatine was planning, or why was so intent to cause a divide within Hux's forces on Nova Prime. But what perplexed him the most was that he insisted that Vader be left there to burn with the base. Once he had learnt of Vaders unexpected awakening he had issued the order to block all communications and pushed for the bases destruction with reverent zeal. While he had been rather surprised with the order, he was assured that it was in the best interests of the Empire. After all, what's wrong with removing a few small, outdated cogs from one grand machine? 

It was a pity he hadn't been able to secure Kylo on the ship. The man may be sadistic, hot headed and impulsive in the worst of ways, but he was powerful and struck fear in those around him as his grandfather once had. If only Solo hadn't decided to choose that very moment to interrupt their evacuation. Kriffing smugglers.

But all of that was now in the past, and Hux was a man who looked to the future. He was certain Kylo would have survived the assault on their base and he would make contact with him in due time.

Hux clutched his harness as the shuttle rocked back and forth. The engines roared in his ears as the ship began to compensate for the gravitational pull of the planet. He adjusted his neatly combed hair and staraightened his collar. They would be landing any minute now.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Han intently watched Ben intently watching Vader as he paced back and forth with exasperation. What was his son thinking?! Darth Vader?! DARTH 'I TORTURED YOUR MOTHER' VADER?!?! Why? Of all people, why did it have to be Vader who he revived? Why was his son such an idiot?! 

He shook his head. Han would have thought that being brought back from the dead would make you happy. You were dead but someone liked you enough to bring you back. What's not to like? It's like getting a second chance, to do the things you never got a chance to do before. Great right? Wrong, of course. Nooooooo, His lordship couldn't seem to find any joy anything. He had been pacing like this silently for the past hour and a half. With his shoulders hunched and his hands clasped firmly behind his back. His face was twisted into a cruel (and unnerving) scowl. That stuck up, Imperial relic could decide to use his fancy force powers to choke them all any minute. And here he thought he wouldn't be as scary without the mask.

Ben didn't look much happier. He was sitting by the holochess board, looking confused. What will his mother think of this?! No, scrap that. How will he even begin to explain all of this to her?! Vader destroyed Alderan for force sake! Her home planet! She'll probably blow them all out of the air if they even think about landing in the rebellions base. 

"Grandfather" Ben said timidly (for once) 

Vader didn't respond. He just kept pacing. Back and forth, back and forth. This couldn't be real, Han saw Vader burn on Endor. It was a joke right? right?, He looked back at the man, who abruptly stopped and looked at Ben.

"You don't know the true power of the dark side, Kylo" he said.

Nope, deffinatly Vader. He was the only person in the Galaxy who ever sprouted that Bantha poodoo 

"We are in grave danger" Vader continued.

"Way to point out the Kryat dragon in the room" Han cracked sarcastically.

Vader glowered at him silently. Ok, maybe it's not so wise to joke around with the guy who literally froze you in carbonite to get to his son.

"Why?" Ben asked, doing his best to ignore his annoying father

"The Emporer was not mearly an old man with a walking cane, he was much more powerful."

Vader paused melodramatically. Han sighed inwardly. If there was one thing he had learned from Luke and (especially) Leia, it's that Skywalkers are drama queens. Guess they got hat lovely trait from dear old dad. He wasn't surprised. 

Here it comes he thought.

"Kylo, the Emporer is a Sith Lord, who goes by the name Darth Sidious. I was merely his apprentice." 

Bens mouth gaped open, He winced at the guilt, force Han had known. Him and Leia both knew, and both had decided to try to hide Vader and Sidious's real identities from little Ben for a long time. Didn't want to scare the kid.

Bens face jolted to stare accusingly at him.

"You knew didn't you?" He hissed.

He was right to be paranoid. They never told him Vader was his grandfather, and Kylo had learned the horrid truth from the media rather than his parents. 

Han could only grimace. He hated this! He hated that he had to lie to his own flesh and blood! But he had to, they both decided it had been for the best. But they had been wrong, apparently.

"I knew it!" Ben shouted 

His head darted back to Vader, who observed silently. 

"Let's go to find the Emporer! He'll help us! And let's give him Solo! He was a general in the rebellion. We can bargain with him!"

"Son" Han said softly. Welling up wi betrayal. He couldn't believe that this person was once his little Ben.

"No" Vader insisted, washing a wave of relief over Han. Two siths in the same room was enough. Enough to last a lifetime.

"No?" 

"Sidious will kill us both if he finds us" 

"Why? We're Sith too" 

"There can be no more than two Sith alive at any given time, even if in the unlikely chance he decides to spare one of us, the other will surely die." Vader said a she crossed his arms over is chest.

"Yeah, exactly. No more than two Sith" Han jutted in.

"But in the old republic, the really old one from thousands of years ago, there were hundreds of Sith" Ben insisted, continue to ignore Han.

"And the Sith empire collapsed because it. Every single dark side user in the Sith empire wanted to rule it, they destroyed themselves from the inside because of their foolish greed." Vader stated. 

Han vaguely remembered Luke prattling on about some ancient war waged between thousands of Sith and Jedi a really kriffing long time ago, was that what these force heads were talking about?

"The rule of two was established. A master and an apprentice. One to hold all the power, and one to crave it. Sidious knows this law all to well, and will insure that it's enforced"

There was a silence as they both soaked up the meaning behind Vaders words. Despite Bens obvious disappointment, Han was more than pleased. Vader had for once helped him. He wouldn't be forced to keep his son away form Sidious (who he otherwise would probably try to find with the same vigor as he had tried to revive Vader) alone. 

"Captain Solo, you have failed thus far to inform both your son and I of our current destination." Vader finally said. 

Force. Han felt a pit of anxiety begin to bubble in his chest. Ben won't like this.

Han cleared his throat, as if he could just do that forever instead of break the news.

"We're heading to D'Qar, there's rebel base there"

Ben looked horrified, as expected. But Vader looked kinda unphased, even a bit supportive of their destination. No not supportive, that would be stupid. Vader hated rebels.

"I am NOT stepping foot in that sludge-bowl" Ben yelled.

"Well, like it or not. That's where we're going kid." Han relied.

"It's not where IM going!" 

"Oh yes it is! Your mother hasn't seen you in years! And you're not going to keep her waiting any kriffing longer!"

Ben went red with anger. 

"You can't control me!" 

"You listen here Ben, we are going to D'Qar and don't give a Banthas Behind what you say"

"I hate you!"

"Enough!" Vader barked.

Ben looked despiratly towards Vader.

"Grandfather we can take the ship! They don't stand a chance against our combined power. I know my mother is there, but I would rather die than go to D'Qar, I promise you"

He blindly insisted as he despiratly tried to impress Vader, who ignored him.

"Is Leia truley on D'Qar?" He asked. 

Han would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by the question.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" He said trying his best to sound intimidating, he wasn't going to let Vader stomp all over him or Leia again, and he was going to make that clear form the start.

"No, I have not. When will we be arriving?" 

"Grandfather we can't go there!!!!" Ben practically roared.

"Is everything alright back there?" Rey called from the cockpit.

"Yeah, everything's fine" Han replied with a hint of sarcasm.

He felt sorta sorry for Rey and Finn. Being stuck in the falcon with a dysfunctional family and a zombie Sith. Finn had abruptly left for the crew quarters right after Ben started coming alrund, and Rey had remained in the cockpit despite the fact that the ship was flying in auto-pilot. In all honesty, he couldn't blame 'em.

Vader let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"Why, can we not go there, Kylo?" He asked with thinly veiled patience.

"Because they're the enemy! Leia is a snake! I hate her!" 

"My daughter is not my enemy. Neither is she yours." He replied quiet aggression.

Han was actually starting to feel a bit relieved that Vader was with them, he was actually helping him for once. Let's hope it lasts.

Ben seemed at a loss for words. 

Vader walked right up to the kid and layed a huge, gloved hand onto the holochess table. His massive figure obscured Hans vision of his son.

"I don't care who you think is your enemy, but you will never speak of my daughter, and your mother in that manor ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Vader said with slow intensity.

Silence. Han wished he could see Bens face. 

"Yes" Ben said at last.

Kriffing hell, Darth Vader really was turning out to be a real diamond amongst the dust. He actually felt like thanking him. If someone had told him yesterday that Darth Vader of all people would help him get his son back in line he would have burst out laughing right into their face. But now it was actually happening. Maybe this was all just one big crazy dream and he would wake up with Chewie roaring in his ear about broken accelerators.

"Good, I'm sure we will be arriving soon. Now if there are no further issues to discuss, I suggest we all get some rest before we arrive" Vader stated as he started for the door.

Good idea, Han could feel a nice big pair of bags under his eyes. Vader left, and for a few seconds, father and son were alone. Ben looked unsure of himself. But just as Han opened his mouth to say something, the kid jumped out of his seat and hurried after Vader. Leaving him alone with nothing but the memory of Ben to keep him company.

He surpressed a growing sense of dissapointment in his stomach and tried to focus on the positives. At least Vader hadn't killed anyone, right?

He sighed and headed towards the enigine room, knowing there was an old couch he could fall onto somewhere down there. Even if he was grateful for Vaders help, he didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him. And given that he probably wouldn't even be able to pick him up, it wouldn't be very far. So he defiantly wasn't going to sleep anywhere near him in the crew quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post, I've been trapped in exam hell for the past few weeks, but they will be over in a few days and I will have the whole summer to write to my hearts content :D. I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless!


	7. Hot chocolate

Rey snorted awake. She was so surprised that she jumped out of her chair and hit her head on the ceiling before falling to the floor with an unsatisfactory thump. She cursed as she held her throbbing head. At least there were no bumps, hopefully that was a good sign. The bang on her head did however manage to give her some momentary amnesia, and she was at a loss as to why she wasn't on Jakkau. Then it all came flooding back, meeting Han. Deciding to go to Takodana. Han intercepting an encrypted message from Nova Prime. Nobody actually knew what the message meant, but as soon as Han figured out it was signed by Kylo they had abruptly changed course and blindly crashed into the bases hangar. And now there were two Sith Lords on bored with her, no wonder she was jumpy. They were still in light speed, and looking at the clock mounted into the controls of the ship, it was about 2:30 in the morning. 

She sighed and got to her feet, her headache subsided. Maybe some hot chocolate would make her feel better about the situation. Judging by the silence in the ship, there was a good chance that Kylo, Han and that man everyone was calling Vader had finally stopped aguring and gone to bed. So at least she could go get her drink in peace.

She walked down the corridor and into the ships small kitchen, which also doubled up as an extra storage room for all the excess things that didn't fit into the main hold. Most of the stuff kept in the kitchen was either food, junk or stuff you couldn't sell. At least that's what Han had told her. She rummaged around in the ships food storage for something resembling hot cholocate. There was an awful lot of ale for some reason, but she wasn't a drinker and didn't intend to start. She pulled out a military issue package of condensed coco powder from a crate full of military issue breakfast biscuits. The things you could find in this ship. The package didn't have an expiry date on it so she crossed her fingers as she poured a spoon of the contents into some hot milk. It smelled amazing. She lifted the cup to her mouth and took as sip. 

Compared to the imported hot chocolate they had on Jakkau it was amazing. Pleasantly surprised and now feeling a lot less stressed, Rey strolled back down the corridor to the cockpit. But as she turned the corner she bumped into something large and black and spilt her hot chocolate all over it.

"Ow! What in the Galaxy?" 

She looked up to see an unmasked and unamroured Kylo Ren looking down at his shirt in horror. A brief flood of fear struck her. kylo wasn't exactly known to be very forgiving. This might be her end, right now. Death by clumsiness. No that wouldn't happen, and she wouldnt just drop to her knees and beg for forgiveness like some servant just because of his reputation. She composed herself and did her best to sound as casual as possible.

"Sorry, didn't see you there." She said with a weak smile.

Kylo slowly looked at her with an expression somewhere in between anger and confusion.

"You ruined my shirt" He said as he looked back down at the giant, chocolate coloured stain on his chest.

She suddenly felt a little guilty. He looked like a disappointed child on his birthday. Kylo pinched the edge of his shirt and pulled the scalding liquid away from his chest.

"Um, I'll help you clean up if you want. Let's go to the kitchen, there's bound to be something in all those crates that will clean it up."

Kylo looked up at her again with a sour expression.

"This is your fault, of course your going to help me fix it" 

Rey almost rolled her eyes, it's not like Kylo had been watching where he was going either. The only reason it was her fault was because she was carrying a drink and he wasn't, but she decided it would be wise to keep that particular observation to herself.

"Alright, Im sorry. Now come on"

Kylo didn't even try to hide his childlike sulkiness as she lead him to the kitchen and sat him down on one of the chairs in the corner of the room. He was wearing simple black sweatpants along with a pair of black socks. Someone liked black. Maybe he even dyed his hair black just to give off a dark vibe. She figured that either way it was rather suiting.

"It's going to stain" he growled.

Rey surpressed a chuckle. The dark lord was upset over his favourite shirt getting stained.

"What's so important about a plain black shirt?" She asked as she rummaged in a large crate full of equipment. Han was right, it seemed like most of it was useless or broken. Rey swore she could feel Kylos shock at the question in the air.

"What's so important?! This shirt is made from the finest synthsilk this side of the Galaxy. Although I guess someone like you wouldn't know anything about fashion" 

She pulled out a clone wars era moisture evaporator from the bottom of the crate. 

"I know pleanty about fashion thank you" she said teasingly as she tried the 'on' button. I'm truth Kylo was right, she couldn't care less about fashion. But something about teasing him seemed to appeal to her greatly.

"Says the girl who thinks having three ponytails as fashionable" he scoffed.

The moisture evaporator came to life with a humm, however after only a moment it stuttered and fell silent again. Rey banged the side of it with her hand. To no avail. 

"If you think your putting that broken rusted piece of junk near me your insane" Kylo sulked.

"Well unfortunately for you it's the only thing that can save your shirt" she said with a smile.

"My shirt wouldn't need saving if you hadn't run into me" Kylo muttered back.

Rey laid the evaporator down on the lid of the crate. If she could open it up she might be able to rewire the insides and get it working again. But to do that she would need to unscrew those bolts. And to unscrew bolts you need a screwdriver. Rey dived back into the crate in search for something resembling the tool she needed.

"So, what were you doing up?" Kylo asked.

"Getting hot chocolate if course" Rey mumbled as she stuck her head further into the large crate.

"Oh of course" Kylo replied sarcastically.

Well there didn't seem to be a screwdriver in the crate, but there was a pair of long nails that might do the trick if she positioned them right. She hauled them out and gave Kylo a questioning smile.

"Ok, what were you doing up then?" 

Kylo sighed as Rey positioned one nail on the first bolt and placed the other nail at the base of the same bolt.

"I couldn't sleep" he said, looking down at the floor. He looked up to see Rey messing with the nails. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"You'll see" she said as she found the sweet spot. She used the first nail to steady the bolt and used the second one to push it up. The bolt popped off and fell to the floor. Now the second one.

"Clone wars bolts don't have a corkscrew shape so you don't necessarily need a screwdriver to get them off."

Kylo looked at her with an impatient expression on his face.

"Just get it working, I can feel my shirt starting to dry and if it does it will stain" he reminded her.

The other bolt came off just as easily as the first and the panel slipped out of place to allow Rey to see the inside components of the moisture evaporator. It was a mess of wires. She gently moved them out of the way with her fingers as she looked deeper side the machine. Then saw the problem, which was thankfully very simple. One of the wires was lose, all she had to do was shove it into its socket. She pressed the 'on' button once more and the evaporator hummed to life, and this time it didn't die after a few seconds. Happy with her work, she put the pannel and the bolts back into their place.

Rey held the machine close to Kylos shirt. The moisture evaporator worked like a charm, it quickly turned the hot chocolate into water vapour which it sucked up. 

"Now, all better. happy?" 

"Not really" he said with a frown.

Rey rolled her eyes and put the moisture evaporator back into the crate. Was he ever happy? 

"I'm going to make some more hot cholocate, would you like some?" She said. Maybe a drink would cheer him up.

"Not in a million years" Kylo scoffed as he got to his feet. 

"It might help you sleep?" She said as she heated up some more milk. 

"I wont sleep either way tonight" he said absently. 

"Why not?" She asked. Was it something to do with whatever they were arguing with earlier? Actually, it was probably because Han was flying him straight towards the rebel headquarters.

"Why should you care?" He said with an unexpected flare of anger.

Rey shrugged as she poured the milk into a cup and added some more coco. She didn't let his childish mood swings affect her. 

"It doesn't matter anyway" he said quietly.

She picked up her cup and turned to face him, leaning her weight against the counter. If he really didn't want to talk about it then why was he still here? She had already fixed his precious shirt. He could have left minutes ago if he really wanted to.

"If you can't sleep over it then it obviously matters" 

Kylo looked at her for a few moments, his bare fists clenched as they hung beside his waist. This was the first time she had seen him in such a casual state. With tossed bed hair and bootless feet. It was a stark contrast to the armoured monster she was used to seeing on holo news reels. She realised that she wasn't one bit threatened by him, in fact she kind of liked him like this.

"It's just.... I never thought I would be going back to her again" He finally said.

Her? Who was he talking about. Whoever it was seemed to have great significance in his life given that it was keeping him awake at night. 

"Her?" 

Another long silence, Kylo stared at the floor.

"My mother, Leia organa" 

Leia organa, the leader of the resistance? Rey shocked to say the least! He was fighting a war against his own mother?! To say she was surprised would be an understatement. Kylo seemed to feel the surge of emotions within her.

"It's not as though you can even begin to understand what I have been through" he spat with a sudden flare of venom.

Rey blushed. She didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but at the same time she couldn't help her reaction.

"It's pointless talking to you" Kylo hissed as he turned around and stormed out of the room.

Part of her wanted to run after him and talk to him, but she had no idea as to what she should say. She felt somewhat sorry for him. She also realised that she gelt somewhat sad that she wasn't in his company anymore. But all she could do was stand alone in the kitchen and soakup what she heard. The realisation hit her like a bus. 

Kylo Ren was the son of the leader of the resistance. And if Vader truly was Kylos grandfather then Leia was Vaders daughter! Leia had toppled her own fathers rule over the Galaxy! And Kylo seemed to worship Vader, is that why he resented his mother? This was crazy! What would happen when they landed?! Would Leia even recognise her father without the suit on? How would she react to to seeing Kylo? What would happen With Han?! Rey looked down at her hot chocolate, she had suddenly lost her appetite. 

She jumped off the counter and raced towards the cockpit. The timer stated that they were almost there. Rey sat in the captains seat with scarcely controlled energy. This was a set up for disaster. She didn't know if she should just turn the ship around and save them all the heartache or go and hide in the store room then sneak away when everyone had left. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't abandon Finn or Han. They were her friends. Oh poor Finn, he had no idea what he was walking into. She really wanted to tell him, but she sadly realised that this wasn't her secret to tell. It was Kylos' and Hans'. She sat back in her chair and let out a long sigh. All she could do was wait and pray to the force that everything went as smoothly as possible


	8. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to thank everyone for all the wonderful support I've received for my first fan fiction! It's really encouraging and I love reading all of your comments! I can't thank you enough :). 
> 
> Anyway, back to the story, where Captain Han Solo and his disjointed crew meet up with the infamous Princess Leia and have some lunch, or at least try too.

Anakin watched with detached bemusement as the Wookie fiddled with a wall of contols on the left side of the cockpit.

"No, not right! Left! Left! Chewie!" Han barked in frustration, the wookie roared in responce and began turning a dial in the direction Solo had ordered

"Hello? Home One can ya hear me?" Han said for the tenth time as he leaned over the ships main control panel. They had arrived at D'Qar just under half an hour ago. But thanks to the 'stellar' condition of the millennium falcon they had failed to make contact with the the resistance base and had simply been sitting in orbit of the planet. Solo was to scared to land without warning in case the princess decided to blow them out of the sky before he could tell her he had Kylo with him. Or at least thats what Anakin could pick up from the general feeling of Hans force signature. 

The wookie roared again and Han gave him a sarcastic look.

"Don't you think I've already tried that? Keep turning the dial left." Han said. Chewbacca snorted and for the first time Anakin wished he had taken the time to learn his language. "I know, I know I got it ok?" Had said as he started fiddling with the controls himself. 

"I hate this ship" Kylo muttered beside Anakin. After they left hyperspace, everyone had crowded into the ships cockpit with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as they hurried to listen Solo make the call to the resistance base. But to the dissapointment of all they had been left to just stand in the now rather cramped cockpit and watch Solo and the Wookie try to fix a broken ship.

"I heard that. This ship has gotten us out of everything the Galaxy has thrown at us so far. Ain't that right Vader?" Han joked as he got up from his seat to help chewbacca.

Anakin presumed solo was referring to his constant evasion of Vaders fleet when the empire had still existed. Thankfully for the smuggler, he wasn't in the worst mood in the world, and allowed the small jab at his pride to pass over him without a word in retort.

"That doesn't mean it's not a piece of junk" Kylo said.

"Hey, that's unwarranted, she's the best-"

Just then the wall of control panels sparked disobediently, forcing solo and the wookie to jump back to protect themselves. Han let out a shriek and started cursing in Huttese. The wookie roared in anger.  
'-ship in the Galaxy' Vader thought to himself. He allowed a small smile to cross his face, oh the irony. 

"Well, let's hope that whatever we did worked, because we ain't accessing anything from there anymore" solo sighed, defeated. Chewbacca banged the control panel with furry, balled fists.

He sat back into the pilots seat and pressed down the communications button.

"Home one? Hello? This is Han Solo"

Then, as if by some miracle they actually heard the communicator crackling to life. Vader sensed quiet relief flood the room. Rey jumped to Hans side, as if by simply standing closer she could will the line to keep working. Finn just looked at Kylo uneasily. 

"This is-----ne------ identif------- self" A fuzzy voice said from the control panel.

"This in Captain Han Solo, I need to speak to the princess"

"Unauthori--------lo-------- denied----cess" The line was so distorted it was almost impossible to understand whoever was trying to communicate with them. It flickered in and out of existance as the man spoke. Vader crossed his arms over his chest, they may as well as not be able to commicate at all if this was what they had to work with.

"Look I need to speak with the princess, Liea Organa, do you copy?" Han said slowly, making sure to pronounce every syllable in Leia's name.

The line fizzled out abruptly. Han banged his fists against the controls. 

Kylo sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah that was totally worth half an hour of repair work" he said sarcastically.

Han raised a finger to his son and was about to reply but the communicator crackled to life once more. Solo lurched back towards the controls. Everyone leaned in closer, like the communicator was some sort of fragile antique that you could break if you so much as breathed on it.

"Captain Solo, this is home one, do you copy?" 

"Yes! Yes I copy! I need to speak to the princess" He said into the communicator.  
Put here was a brief silence from the other end.

"The princess is currently indisposed, state your business in resistance territory" 

"My 'business' is to speak to the princess, now put her on I need to talk to her"

"She is very busy at the moment, if that is all you are here for then I suggest you leave before we are forced to fire on you"

This was proceeding differently than Anakin had anticipated. Why was Solo at odds with the resistance? He cursed his lack of knowladge about... Well anything in this 'new galaxy' he found himself in.

"I don't care if she's busy I need to talk to her!" Han barked.

"You have 30 seconds to end communications and power up your hyperdrive before we open fire"

Han whispered a silent curse.

"I have Ben with me." Han said in a last ditch attempt to persuade the man on the other end to hear him out.

Silence was his only reply.

"What?!" A familiar female voice cried in surprise over the line. Leia, it was Leia's voice. Vader released a breadth he hadn't realised he was holding. He had just received audible conformation that his daughter was safe. Even though he knew she was by the way the others had spoken of her, a small part of him still worried. 

Han suddenly smiled.

"I knew you were there" he said, all of the desperation had now drained from his voice. He now sounded relaxed, playful, flirty almost. And at that thought Anakin couldn't even begin to hold back the reeling cringing feeling that was making his stomach turn. His daughter sure knew how to pick them. 

"How? I don't believe you" Leia said. Now she sounded desperate. But Anakin was just happy to hear her voice, which sounded be all accounts, healthy. Even if it was a bit angry. 

"Let me land and I can prove it to you" Solo replied smoothly.

Another silence.

"I want to speak with him first" she said. Anakin puzzled over the distrust between the two. Last time he had seen them together they had acted like star struck lovers who couldn't manage a few mere minutes apart. Now all they seemed to want to do was escape each other.

"Fine" Han waved Kylo over, but his son remained stubbornly by Anakins side.

"Ben, come over here" Han said as he continued to motion for Kylo to go to his side.

"That's not my name" Kylo said quietly, quiet enough for Leia to not hear him.

Han gave him an annoyed look.

"This isn't the time, get over here" he said, this time more stearnly.

Kylo crossed his arms over his chest and mimicked Anakins stance. 

"No" he said defiantly.

Everyone, even the small droid bb8 seemed sigh inwardly at him. 

"No? Ben your mother wants to speak with you, she hasn't seen you in years for force sake!" Han practically cried.

"Cut the act, Han. I told you not to come back here. Leave or I will open fire" Leia said with a cold tone.

"Ben?!" Han hissed. Chewbacca roared in disapproval.

Kylo just stood there with a stupid smug smile on his face. The seconds crept by like minutes as father and son stood against each other. Why was his grandson being so uncooperative?! If this kept up they would be forced to leave, and Anakin refused to leave this system without seeing his daughter! 

Captain solo was doing a poor job at convincing his son, and at this rate they would be leaving very shortly. Anakin decided it was time for him to intervene. He turned to face his grandson.

"Kylo. Inform Leia that you are on board" he snapped with a tone that challenged Kylo to fight back.

"I don't want to see her" 

"That doesn't matter, we require their assistance" 

"But I-"

"I don't care, Kylo, answer your mother!" Anakin barked. He was starting to lose his temper. They had already had this discussion, and had already decided to land in the base! This was futile! He could feel the dark side latching unto his growing frustration and he realised he would need to calm down. Allowing his eyes to turn yellow now would help no one. He took a deep breath and levelled Kylo with a stern look.

His grandson bit his lip and moved silently to his fathers side. He leaned a gloved hand against the pilots seat as if he were supporting himself with it. The silence suddenly felt smothering as everyone eyed Kylo. He leaned down to the communicator, his father watching him carefully as he did so. Anakin saw his grandsons shoulders rise as he drew another deep breadth.

Then he opened his mouth and with quiet uncertainty uttered:

"Hi, Mom"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leia ran out of the command room. Ran past her surprised comrades, ran faster than she had ran in years. So fast that those that saw her barrelling towards them in the corridor yelped and jumped out of her way. She sprinted towards the private hangar they had told her stupid, irresponsible husband to land on. Who had her son. Her stupid, irresponsible son. 

A squad of soldiers quickly took positions at the entryway to the hanger, as much for the protection of the base as for the protection of Ben. Only those who were close by her when Han had called had heard the call, and only those who knew Ben by his real name would know exactly who would be landing on the base. As few people as that may be it was still to many. Word spread quickly. Soon everyone would know and she had to protect him from the resistance just as much as she had to protect the resistance from him.

The troops parted for her as she ran into the hanger. She skid to a halt as the millennium falcon eclipsed the sun that had once shun through the hole above. This was an enclosed hanger, designed to bring people or objects of importance directly into the heart of the base. The Falcons legs opened out as the ship landed with a thud on the ground front of her. She could feel her heart in her throat beating wildly. 

Seconds felt like hours as the ramp slowly lowered intself down. She clamped down on her tounge in a desperate attempt to stop herself from calling out 'Ben!' before he could even hear her. 

Finally a figure appeared at the top of the ramp. Han, he smiled at her reassuringly when he saw what must have looked like the face of a deranged madwoman. Her eyes darted from Han to his side. But more strangers appeared. A girl, two men, but no Ben. She could hold it in any longer. 

"Ben?" She called, with strained composure. 

Then, as she was beginning to think that this was all so stupid trick to get her to let Ham land, she saw him. He shuffled into view beside a tall man with dark brown hair much like her own. 

"Ben!" She cried loudly, not even trying to hold back to motherly joy in her voice. She should be angry at him. Force she should be so angry at him. But right now hewas back with her, he was safe. In that moment nothing else mattered more.

She ran to him as he shuffled down the ramp. Bens eyes widened as she jumped towards him and wrapped her arms protectively around his chest. Her son, her long lost son was finally back. Force she had missed him so much, and been riddled with so much guilt for so long.

"Ben" she whispered as she shoved her face into his thick black robes. she could feel tears forming in her eyes, dripping down her wrinkled cheeks as she enveloped her only son for the first time in years. Now it was just the two of them, everyone else faded into the background as she allowed herself to simply give in to her feelings and lose track of the world around her.

He didn't respond, but he didn't fight either. He stood there, and wondered if it was ok for a Sith to return a hug, it was easier to concentrate on Sith teachings rather than his mother. To show any emotion towards her was to show weakness, the Sith hated weakness. He would not disobey the Sith code, especially not with Vader watching. He desperatly tried to crush the rising emotions he could neither understand nor deal with as his mother sobbed into his shoulder. 

After several minutes she released her grip slightly and looked up to his face. Her brown eyes darted between his as she took in every second of their reunion. 

"I've missed you so much" she finally admitted as she cupped his cheek with a trembling hand. 

He didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. He hated his mother, he had told Snoke just that over and over again in an attempt to prove his loyalty. He had forced himself to only remember her as the person who had lied to him. Who had kept his true heritage from him. She was blind, he and told himself. Blind like Luke and everyone else. Yet know that she was right here in front of him sobbing with joy, he couldn't seem to find any of that hate he had once felt. His emotions crashed against his head like an angry storm, yet they were indecipherable. He didn't know if he felt angry or sad or happy or anything. All he knew was that whatever he was feeling, it was very intense. 

Leia smiled at him with sad eyes as the tears continued to pour out of her eyes. He looked back at her with eyes that spoke of a deep inner conflict. His brow was furrowed, his mouth open slightly. He looked like he was about to speak but he didn't.

"It's ok Ben." She whispered "Everything is going to be ok now" Leia knew this was more for her own benefit than her sons. But she couldn't help it. 

Reluctantly, she released her grip around his chest and took a step back from him. She smiled at him again but he just kept staring at her like he didn't quite understand what was happening. Them she forced herself to break eye contact with him and examine Han and his new crew.

She smiled as she saw Chewbacca, they had remained friends despite the strain on her relationship with Han. Chewbacca did the wookie equivalent of a smile and let out a small grumble in greeting. Her eyes flickered over Han who also smiled at her, though his smile was more apologetic than anything, she didn't linger on him though. She didn't want to ruin this moment with her son. So she looked at the three strangers and the small orange and white droid at their feet. A girl, young, probably in her early twenties looked at her with overwhelming happiness, as if she was overjoyed by the display of affection Liea had shown to her son. Beside the girl was a coloured man, prabably the same age as her, if a bit older. He smiled awkwardly at her too. Then her eyes landed on the last man. Immidatly she felt his overbearing presence in the force. He was extremely powerful and trained, Luke had shown her how to pick out trained force sensitives. His bright blue eyes were as sriking and similar as Lukes. He didn't smile, but rather he simply nodded at her respectfully as her eyes met his. He unnerved her somewhat, but he wasn't her main focus. 

After briefly analysing Hans crew she decided that they were not, in fact, a threat and allowed herself to return her attention to her son. 

"You must all be exhausted after your long trip, why don't you come with me and we can get some food" she said as she struggled to contain her happiness. Her son was finally home again.

Kylo opened his mouth to say something but Han butted in.

"Great! We haven't had a proper meal in weeks" he said as he lead the rest of his crew down the ramp and to Leia's side.

Leia nodded as he looked over her son once more. He had aged since she last saw him. The last few hints of his childish features had left him. He looked like a man now, but he would always be her little Ben. 

She reached out to grab his hand and lead them towards the set of back tunnels in the hopes of avoiding most people in the base. Ben may wear a helmet but most people still recognised his face and she wouldn't have anyone ruin this moment for her.

Kylo awkwardly allowed his mother to take an iron grip of hand and lead him to wherever she would be going next, he looked at Vader questioningly. What must he think of all this? Is he be disappointed in him? 

Anakin levelled Kylo with a stern look that silently said 'just go along with it' as Leia dragged her son across the hangar with newfound determination. Anakin kept pace easily. He examined his daughter with a mixture of amusement and pride. 'Ever the fierce leader I see.' Age hadn't changed her a bit. That was another thing, her age. Even though she acted the same, she looked very different than he remembered her. It made Anakin uncomfortable. The days of the Empire still felt like they had existed just yesterday for him. Seeing his daughter so old unnerved him. Especially since he looked so young. He wondered how he would explain to her who he was, and then he wondered some more about how she would react. Not good, he expected. Anakin beat back the growing feeling of guilt he was feeling. End the end, all of this was his fault. If he hadn't made the stupid decision to join Sidious in the first place none of this would have ever happened. 'Take revenge, with the power of the dark you can kill him' the darkness whispered into his ear. No. He thought. No, I won't give in. He grit his teeth and focused on the now. Why did his mind always end up wandering back to the Emperor? 

Han hurried to follow Leia and Ben as they charged for the back tunnels. Ben looked back at Vader like he was pleading with the man for help. But Vader gave him a stern look and kept pace silently behind them. While Han was overjoyed that they finally had their son back, he would be lieing if he didn't feel a bit dissapointed. He felt out of the loop. He should have been able run over there and envelope both his wife and his child in one giant hug, but he couldn't. It would have upset Leia.,probably Ben too. He did deserve it after all, but still... He wanted to be included. Even Ben looked to someone else over him. He looked to Vader. Which was something that had to change because he wasn't about to sit back and let that Sith control his son like he had tried to control Luke. Han sighed inwardly. For now he would just have to swallow his feelings. He could talk to Leia and Ben later when they were alone. They had a lot to discuss, especially now that his Royal pain-in-the-ass the Emperor was back from the dead. That was another problem, how in seven hells would he explain all of this to Leia without her going crazy and launching a fully fledged military campaign against the Emperor without so much as a second thought? Like who knows what he's planning, maybe he wants her to do that? The Emperor, Han thought dejectedly. It always comes back to the kriffing Emperor.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leia excitedly waved over the serving droid as she seated Kylo down on the dining table in her private quarters. It was far from the quarters you would expect a princess to reside in, it was much simpler and smaller. But she had insisted that as many credits as possible go to fighting the Knights of Ren. Despite this, it wouldn't be the quarters you would expect to find your typical resistance fighter residing in. It had its own private dining room and kitchen, along with a small living room and comfortable bedroom with a refresher. 

"Lady Oragana, what may I do for you today?" The Droid asked as it shuffled to her side.

"Well, that depends on what our guests here would like to eat" she said cheerfully as she looked at her son once more. 

"Of course, my lady, would our guests like to see the menu?" The droid asked dutifully.

"Menu? In your own apartments?" Han asked with a growing smile Leia didn't like one bit.

"Princess, I didn't realise you had your own personal menu" he continued as he sat down opposite Ben. Chewbacca took a seat beside Solo. 

"If you must know, this droid is programmed to cook anything on the menu in the main cafeteria"

"Wow, cool!" Finn said with obvious excitement as he jumped down beside Chewbacca.

"What's so amazing about a menu?" Rey chuckeled as she sat beside Finn.

"I guess we just never got to pick from a menu like this in the military academy" Finn beemed as he took the menu from the droid.

Leia was quickly beginning to notice that everyone was sitting away from Ben on the other side of the table. Her motherly instincts kicked in as she seated herself beside him, not allowing him the opportunity to notice that Hans crew were avoiding him.

"Well I'm afriad our menu isn't anything special, we have allocated most of our funds towards equipping our military" 

The tall force-sensitive man sat beside Leia, and he did so with Ben eyeing him closely. She could sense through the force that there was a lot of underlying emotions within Hans company, especially between the stranger and Ben. What that puzzled her the most was that the stranger was clearly sheilding his mind from her with ease, she couldn't even catch a glimpse of what he was feeling. Proving that he really was well trained in the force. Although she struggled to realise how that was possible; all of Lukes apprentices had been slaughtered by the Knights of Ren. And this man was neither dead nor wearing the uniform of one of Snokes toadies.

She shook him out of her head, why was she even thinking of him so much anyway? She had Ben to worry about. He looked through the menu absently, pretending to read it as he struggled with his inner thoughts. Leia wondered what he was thinking, she hoped it didn't involve leaving D'Qar.

"Has everyone decided what to order?" The droid asked politely.

"I certainly have" Han said with a broad smile as he pointed out to the droid what he had chosen on the menu.

"An excellent choice sir" 

"I'm ready as well" Finn said happily.

"Me too" Rey complied as they both made their orders.

Chewbacca roared out his order as he pointed it out with a huge fluffy paw which was nearly as big as the menu itself.

"I will have the bantha stew" Anakin said as he tentitavly remembered his mother cooking it for him after a long days work. Despite living in poverty, and working almost all day, she had always managed to make him a tasty meal every evening. And what better way to celebrate his first proper meal in decades than by paying homage to his brilliant mother? 

"Bantha stew? No one in the right mind could even try to like that" Rey commented.

"You've probably never even had bantha stew before" Kylo hissed as he defended his grandfather, which made Anakin feel angry more than anything else. When he was younger and people knew him as he hero with no fear, little kids would him hang out of him whenever he walked around corasaunt. To them, he could do nothing wrong, and they would probably have jumped to his defence if anyone even dared question him. He was their hero. Kylo was really starting to remind him of them.

"Yes I have, it's a staple on Jakkau" Rey said sourly.

"It is a staple on many rim worlds" Anakin concurred.

"So, why do you like it then?" Rey persisted.

"Obviously because it's nice. In fact, I'll have the bantha stew too" Kylo insisted as he handed his menu to the droid. He then squared Rey with a very threatening glare as he rested his hands on the table. Rey glared back at him pointedly.

"It looks like everyone has ordered" Leia said as she showed the droid her choice with a forced smile. Things were getting ugly already. She ran through ways to try to calm to rising tension between the group, but she realised she couldn't because bar Ben and Han she simply knew nothing about any of them. 

The droid headed to the kitchen to prepare their meals, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its wake. Even Han didn't seem to know what to say.

Kylo and Rey continued to give each other dirty looks as the group waited for the droid to return with their food. She sighed, now was a better time than ever to deflate this tension. It was time to put her diplomatic skills to use.

She put on her best welcoming smile.

"I just realised that in the rush to come here we didn't even introduce ourselves to one another" 

Leia sensed a sudden flurry of anxiety rush past the strange mans shields before he quickly gathered himself again.

Her mind suddenly ran wild with implications, was he a spy? An infiltrator? Maybe he was a criminal? Did he have a bounty on his head? Why else would he be so anxious to introduce himself? 

She turned to start with him when Han butted in, again.

"Yeah, that's right. I'll start" he said as he suddenly sat up in his seat. Now she was getting anxious feelings from Kylo too. she was beginning to realise that the whole group was hiding something. Was this man in league with Snoke?

"I'm Han Solo, former general of the rebellion and resistance. Proud owner of the fastest ship in the Galaxy, you can call me Captian Solo" 

"I'm Finn, I was a stormtrooper. But I decided it wasn't really for me" 

"I'm Rey, I'm form Jakkau. I just scavenge stuff mostly" 

The all three of them looked at Kylo as if urging him to speak. He, also took the hint.

"I'm Kylo Ren, member of he Knights of Ren, and former apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke"

Leia's heart bubbled up with surprise. The serving droid entered the the room and placed their meals down in front of thm.

"Former?" She asked as she lay a hand on her sons shoulder.

Leia didn't see Han and Rey both dart Kylo a death look.

"Uh, yeah" he said uncomfortably. He picked up a spoon and started swirling his bowl of bantha stew.

Leia was getting the distinct feeling that everyone here knew something she didn't, and it was something big.

The stranger beside her sighed irritably.

"Your discomfort is unnecessary, Kylo" with said with a deep voice.

"Of course it is, he is my son. And I'm Princess Leia Organa of Alderann" she said as she introduced herself. Then she turned around to face the stranger. Up close he looked so much like Luke had when he was younger it was uncanny.

"And you are?" She asked as she searched for any bit of information about what he may be thinking on his face. There wasn't any.

He was silent for a few moments, before his expression grew stern as he gathered his determination.

"You are going to find what I tell you hard to believe, but it is true. If you don't trust me, then trust your son" 

Leia's face grew tight with worry, she didn't like where this was going.

"An artefact was found on an ancient Sith planet called Korriban. It allows for one to regenerate life"

Her hands clenched together as she wrestled with this information. What did that imply? And why was he telling her this now, while they were eating?

"What do you mean?" She said, utterly confused.

This time she didn't miss Finn and Rey exchange an awkward look. And she didn't need to be force sensitive to sense to feeling of discomfort skyrocket in the room. This wasn't how she had wanted to spend her first meal back with her son.

"I mean, that the artefact can bring people back for the dead, princess" he stated with gruff determanation.

Her eyes widened at the accusation. Bring people back room the dead?! What implications could that have?! Her head started to spin as she considered the possibilities.

"What?! where is this artefact now? Who are you?" She said, her tone growing more and more erratic.

"We believe the artefact is currently on the Starkiller base" he said. 

Then he briefly lowered his eyes to his hands before looking back at her. His entire body tensed with whatever he was about to tell her. Which only feed her anxiety. 

"My name Anakin Skywalker, otherwise known as Darth Vader, I'm your father Liea" 


	9. Complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im not sure if this chapter is what you will have been expecting, however I think that having it turn out this way will be better for the story in the long run.  
> Its a lot heavier than previous chapters, but don't worry my pretties the next chapter won't be as intense.  
> Enjoy :)

Anakin stared into his daughters eyes, and tried in vain to find anything, anything that might give him a hint as to what she was thinking. The seconds ticked by like hours. He could feel cold, cruel tendrils coiling around his mind. 'She hates you, she will always hate you.' they whispered. 

"He's dead" she said sternly.

She didn't believe him, she couldn't. She saw Darth Vader burn on Endor. He was a monster, a cruel and heartless beast, but a dead one. She had made her peace with that along time ago.

"I was dead, princess. But that fact is not true anymore" his voice was strong and unwavering like Vaders, but she could hear so much more emotion to it; hints of desperation peppered with worry laced his otherwise commanding tone. 

"That's not true" Who did this man think he was? Why was he doing this to her? Was it funny to him? To remind her of that monster?! But he kept staring into her eyes with an expression that betrayed no humor. She stood up, pushing her chair away with her as she stepped back from the table. 

"Princess I-"

"How dare you!" She barked, memories of Alderan suddenly flashing in front of her eyes. The glossy green fields, the snow capped mountains. The fresh, clear lakes she loved to pick flowers by. The beautiful shining white palace. Her REAL parents smiling and welcoming her home. All those once beautiful and sacred memories now turned bitter and empty.

She felt the Death Star vibrate as a long green ray blasted her home to pieces, the silent cry that erupted within her as she watched the most beautiful planet in existance explode and evaporate into space as though it had never even existed. The feeling of helplessness as Vader held her in place, forced her to watch as her friends and family all died within an instant. 

"Princes please" the man said, took a step towards her. He raised his voice to match hers, but it didn't sound angry. 

"You would make light of that monster?! He is dead! Dead you hear me?" She shouted angerly. Now images of Han crying in pain flickered in her mind. His needless torture just to get Luke to come to be spin. Vader using him as a commodity, selling him off to a bounty hunter like he was some useless object! 

The stranger fell silent, he closed the distance between them. Now they were face to face, he looked at her with quiet intensity. She felt the shields around his mind lift away, a flood of emotions come crashing out. Regret, denial, guilt, fear. They rushed around in her mind until he couldn't tell which emotions were her own anymore. It was overwhelming, the purity of those emotions sent her reeling away from reality like a scared child. The room around her twister and distorted into a sloshy navy colour. An intense feeling of vertigo overcame her as all feeling in her body dissolved along with the room

Power and pain thrashed against her very being, pulling the fibers of her mind apart. She fell into a stormy ocean of crashing emotions. They were dragging her down under, further and further away from the surface of ther mind. She kicked and pushed back but the force was to strong. It was overwhelming, her vision was swimming. She was drowning in pure, raw agony. The waves crashed against her mind, each thunderous hit of power made her weaker and weaker. As she began to feel light headed as she sensed his powerful presence reach through the storm of emotions, he grabbed unto her and pulled her out of the water. A single, sharp tug ripped her past the ocean of suffering, and into something much more scary.

Suddenly it was dark and cold and hard and empty for miles and miles in every direction. But it was quiet, the banging of her own feelings weren't assaulting her anymore. The sudden rush of emotions she had just experienced followed by the detachment that quickly followed left her feeling empty and alone. But that didn't last very long. His presence was strong here, very strong. He swirled around her, enveloped her in the very fibers that made up his soul. He was so blindingly bright that she suddenly couldn't see. He swirled around her faster and faster, the noise of his motions like thunder in her ears. The uncontrolled power of his spirit burned her skin. He pushed against her so loudly and brightly until all she could feel was him. Then it all disappeared. Out of everything came nothing. No sounds, no sights, no feeling. She was surprised, she looked around to try to catch a glimpse of the powerful creature she had just been so close too, however he was nowhere to be found. But those brief few moments of emptyness were broken by a noise she thought she would never have to hear again. A long, laboured heave of that dreaded mask. it erupted from everywhere all at once, so loud it was almost defining. The breathing continued like clockwork, Slow and steady.

She felt the cold hand of anxiety clamp around her heart. He's dead she told herself. He's dead! But the his presence said otherwise. Her vision was distorted and tinted red, but she could just about make out a young Luke skywalker lying on the ground. The heaving of the mask was getting more strained, more painful. 

"And now young Skywalker, you will die" a sickly hoarse voice echoed throughout the endlessness of Darth Vaders mind.

She watched in horror as Luke was assaulted my a vicious torrent of lightning. His body constricted and jolted in pain. He let out a weak scream. And now the rasping breathing was getting worse and worse. Each breadth she took burned. It was so painful but she couldn't stop; the mask strapped onto her face forced the air into her ravaged lungs. 

"Father! Please!" Luke begged as she shook violently on the ground.

She felt anxious and scared still but this time she was scared because she didn't want to disobey him, her master. And at the same time she was anxious because she wanted more than anything to help Luke. Everything she had once believed to be true was being proven false. The empire wasn't what she believed it to be. Sidious had lied to her. Sidious took everything from her. And now Sidious was going to take him from her too.

She felt a sudden rush of angry power push her through her fear. He would not take him too! Numb robotic hands grabbed for the robed shadow at her side. She lifted him into the air and charged towards the edge of the railing. His lighting flashed and danced along her suit. But she didn't care, Luke was the only person that mattered. 

He screamed as she dropped him down the abyss I front of her. The Lightning flickered and died and her vision was a lot darker now than it had once been. She wanted so badly to take off her mask but she couldn't. It was too much, her suit was failing her. She felt her legs give out and in a desperate atrempt to stay upright she grabbed for the railing, but she was just to weak. She fell to the floor with a heavy thud. The breathing, it hurt so much. The mask sounded different now, like it was choking on itself. Her air supply was failing. But she realised that for once she didn't care. As long as Luke was safe, why did she matter?

It took mere moments for him to rush over to her dying body and pull her into his arms. 

"Father" he whispered. She could hardly see him now, but she did see the small trickle of a tear roll down his cheek.

She felt so happy. Finally, she was free. She didn't have to worry or care about the empire or its leader any more. Just the fact that he was alive and well meant everything in the world to her. She was dying, she knew it, but that was ok. Luke was alive and safe from that monster that ruined her life. She could die happy now knowing that she had finally done something that she could say without a shadow of a doubt, was right.

Suddenly she felt a powerful push as the force repelled her outwards. The mask was gone and so were all the emotions that had come with it. The raging intensity that had once been Dath Vader was now the small flicker of a candle. It kept pushing, forcing her away from his mind and his thoughts and back into her own. The thrashing sea of emotions between them died as the fibers keeping their minds entwined were pulled apart and snapped.

She felt very small, and very empty in her own mind. A hand shook her shoulder, but she couldn't see who it was, her eyelids were heavy and she had to force them open. A blurry and bright image greeted her. It cleared slowly, as muffled voices rang in her ear.

"Princess? Princess?" 

An image came into focus above her. Hans face close to hers, he was shaking her shoulder. He looked worried.

"Leia? Come back to me" he pleaded.

"I'm here" she said, but it came out much weaker than she had anticipated. She realised that she was lying on the ground. her head was still spinning but she need to find out what was going on, she tried to sit up, but she was so weak that she nearly collapsed upon herself.

"Easy princess" Han said softly. He wrapped a strong hand around her back and slowly helped her into a sitting position. It had been a long time since he had held her in his arms. And for some reason this suddenly meant a lot to her. She could feel tears forming in her eyes. Part of believed that she was still about to die, that she had sacrificed everything for a son who was her own brother. Vaders emotions still surged through her vains. Regret, guilt, pain. And love that was so powerful it took her breath away. She looked to Han. That same love that drove Vader on suddenly driving Leia. She didn't know what to say, despite all they had been though, she loved him. She had always loved him. She hated that things had ended the way they did.

"Han I-I" she started, but quickly realised that her mind wasn't forming her sentences for her. Her thoughts were muddled and sloshy.

"It's ok Liea, I'm here" Han said, his deep brown eyes filled with worry he was trying desperatly to hide. 

Then she heard a group of medics burst though the door, they split, half of them hurring to her. She followed the other half until they stopped above Vader, who was gasping on his hands and knees close to her. He lifted a leg in an attempt to get up but he was halted when he suddenly started hacking and coughing violently. He fell into his stomach and started heaving dry, coarse breaths. It was almost like he was choking. 

The doctor at Leia's side checked her pulse while a nuse injected something to her arm. "What happened?" The doctor asked 

"They were arguing and then suddenly they just stopped and feel to the floor. They were out cold for a good five minutes before you arrived" Han explained. 

she realised that her hands were shaking, her forehead felt sweaty. She looked back at Vader, who was curled up into a ball. He look so small and feeble that he reminded her of alittle boy. Kylo was standing over him, but he was looking directly at Liea. A lost expression gripped his face. 

The nurses lifted Vader to a stretcher and lowered an oxygen mask over his face. She watched as they swiftly ran him out of her quarters and towards the infirmary. 

"Come on princess, your turn" Han said as he and the doctor helped her into her own stretcher. 

Leia didn't know what to think, so she just allowed them to help her unto the stretcher and pot an oxygen mask on her face too.

Ben drew closer and lay his hand on hers, but he didn't dare look at her. They pushed her past him and into the corridor. Ben didn't follow, she wanted to cry and tell them to bring her back to him but she couldn't! All she could manage to do was let others a pathetic whimper that was distorted under the mask. She grabbed Han by the arm and pulled at him, trying her best to get him to bring Ben back to her. She felt delirious, some part at the back of her mind knew she was acting irrationally, but it wasn't enough to quiet the growing felling of panic slowly consuming her.

Han looked at her with eyes full of concern.

The nurse grabbed her other arm, and Leia snapped her head around to look at her accusingly. She tried to cry, to shout to say something! She pulled her arm back but the nurse held her down and stuck a needle in her. Leia gathered all of her energy and yanked her arm away as hard as she could. She broke free, but the damage was already done. Her mind was becoming more hazy, as was her vision. She whimpered again. How could she stop Ben from leaving if she was asleep?! 

A black wave of darkness descend upon her and soon she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

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Leia awoke to the feeling of silky sheets caringly tucked around her neck. Her face nestled into a pair of soft white pillows. Every few seconds she heard a soft beep penetrate the silence of the room. It smelt fresh and clean but the distinct scent of medicine hung in the air. The infirmary, that was the only place that smelt like this.

She opened her eyes to bright lights. However they quickly adjusted and allowed her the vision of a pristine white room. A bed draped with pale blue sheets sat beside hers, Vader was lying there, his turned away from hers. His messy brown hair ruffled against his pillow. A pot of neatly arranged flowers lay on the table between them.

He had to be Vader, didn't he? Who else would have those memories? Luke had only told her what had truley happened on the Death Star, and what she had seen had happened exactly as Luke had described it. But at the same time the fact that he was alive made no sense. 

She sat up and slid her legs out from underneath the sheets. Her strength had returned to her, at last. The floor was cold against her bare feet. She considered if she would try to stand, the rational part of her brain told her that she should probably wait for a doctor to examine her first. After all that had happened, who knew what sort of condition her body was in. But her heart told her to stand, to go and figure out what exactly had happened. 

Leia was broken from her thoughts as Vader turned his head around to look at her. He was squinting, but she could still see those distinctive blue eyes peering out at her. Now his resemblance to Luke suddenly made a lot more sense. 

"Leia" he said weakly. 

But even his uttering of her name caused an eruption of emotions inside of her. Foremost was that anger she had always harboured for him.

"Why are you here" she hissed before she even realised what she was saying.

He looked a bit dazed, his head hung awkwardly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. After a few moments he looked up at her, his face a hybrid of anguish and confusion.

"I- I don't know" he said eventually.

"Why did you do that? How did you do that?" 

When before, she had struggled to even form a sentence, now it seamed that her mouth was speaking without so much as a second thought. She had so many unanswered questions.

"I didn't do that. You came into my mind" 

"No, you pulled me out of my mind and into yours"

Vader looked at her as if he was struggling to remain focused, his eyes were glassy and his body unusually relaxed. He still must be under the effects of the drugs they gave us, she concluded.

"I- I just lowered my shields, I didn't do anything else. You- you were in my mind, I saw you reading my memories" he expressed with such simple, confused innocence that she almost forgot it was Darth Vader she was speaking to.

The memories, she remembered his thoughts being filled with such raw emotiom. Everything he did was fuled by feeling. Where she would have thought him to have worked like a robot, cold and calculating, he in reality worked like a furnace. One that got hotter and hotter and eventually exploded into a flurry of mindless, emotionally driven action.

"You saved Luke" she affirmed as she recalled him throwing the Emporer down the ventilation shaft. Although, part of her now felt like those were her memories. She had existed as him for a small while when she was inside his mind. She remembered the feeling of the mask wrapped tightly around her face, and shuddered.

"The Emporer had to die" Vader said, some of sharpness had returned to his eyes. 

Leia considered him. Her father. Thr man she had wished dead ever since she lay eyes on him in the senate on corasaunt, was now here and very much alive. Probably more alive than he had been when she had known him, she realised. This was what her father must have looked like when he was a Jedi, when he had been training under Obi-Wan. 

He seemed to crumple der her gaze, his unmasked face gave away his thoughts easier than if he had voiced them himself. 

"Leia, I know what I did to you is unforgivable. But I assure you, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry" 

She felt a surge of anger rise within her. Sorry? all he has to say is sorry?! He is probably only sorry because she is his daughter. If she was anyone else it wouldn't even matter to him. She opened her mouth to respond but he continued.

"And I don't expect you to like me, or even tolerate me, but I just want you to know that I will regret what I have done to you and our family for as long as I live"

It seemed that the drugs had made him emotional too, she concluded. Leia didn't know how she felt at this point, her own light-headedness combined with Vaders powerful memories had left her feeling rather confused. His face was full of concern, he stared at her with an intensity that was just as strong, even stronger as the same glare he had given others when he wore the mask. But this glare was heavy with emotions that no mask could ever express. His words rattled her, she had never expected him to even consider apologising to her. Maybe he was lying, maybe he just wanted to take Ben like he had tried to take Luke. 

But that wasn't what his memories had insuinated, if anything he had tried to free Luke from the threat of the dark side, not force him into it. What if they were a lie too? What if he somehow orchestrated the whole scene in the force, as an elaborate scheme to gain her trust? Everything was so confusing, she didn't even know where to begin. 

"I don't want you near Ben" if she was sure about one thing, that was it. So that was how she finally decided to reply to Vaders apology. 

"I understand" he said, with a soft and careful tone. 

He broke his gaze with her, and looked down at the sheets on his bed. A silence fell over them, for neither knew what to say.


	10. Keeping secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while! I made this chapter a little longer to make up for it. Despit the long time it took me to write this, it was actually a really fun chapter for me to write. I really like playing around with the dynamics between Kylo and his parents, and Rey and... well everyone really. Though I do tend to kind of over exaggerate his angstyness for my own comedic enjoyment. I love the idea of a super powerful force user acting like a sulky teen. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. :)

Jabbas palace was empty, like the desolate carcass of a once feared beast. The thriving heart of the Hutt cartel was as dead as the desert surrounding it. It's crowded halls now home to no one but the small insects that scurried across its dusty floors. All the treasures that lay within had been picked clean by scavangers and opportunists. It's large ceilings and elegant design the only remaining whispers of its prosperity.

Jabbas personal empire may have been dead, but the Hutts lived on. Tatooine was handed over to relatives off planet, who ruled from their own corrupt palaces light years away. Paying little head to the planet. This suited Palpatine perfectly. Tatooine was orderless; without any governing body, and his for the taking. To most, one could only see the cruel harshness of her deserts. The blinding heat of her twin Suns. The poverty that gripped her people. But Palpatine saw differently. He saw the treasure trove buried beneath the sand. A carefully disguised wealth the Skywalkers hand handed him when they had murdered the once proud Jabba the Hutt.

Palpatine climbed the steps leading to Jabbas old platform. He noted the stains left behind by the creatures putrid slime. Heavy, humid air clung to the Hutts once mighty hall, dust floated aimlessly in the air. He could feel them still in the force. Shadows of the dead flickered against the palace walls. Bounty hunters bringing home terrified catches. Sex slaves dancing before the hungry crowds of miscreants. Their thoughts echoed through the halls. Their essence stained the seats they once sat on. He could almost hear them cheering as Jabbas enemies feel into the pit of a vicious rancor or below. Their screams of horror only excited the crowds more. As their echoing cheers reached an all time high, Palpatine disconnected for the memory, and let them die once more with the force. He looked down, the trapdoor hung open, probably broken by scavangers who were desperate enough to look for a phantom treasure on the other side. 

The quietness may have provoked fear in some, especially in those who would believe in ghosts. Palpatine had noted that those from Tatooine were always more superstitious than most. The palaces dark and abandoned hallways seemed to play on their fears. With its paint chipped and deformed, and notes of vandals and madmen scrawled across the walls. It would surely thwart those weak minded enough to allow such fears to manipulate their actions. Such weak minded natives avoided the place with I'll placed fear. Ghost stories circled through out the surrounding landscape, warning people that the rancors spirit roamed these hallways. They said it murdered all who entered the palace, it's insatiable hunger denying it a passage to the afterlife. So it must feed on the living still. Palpatine knew better, the dead walked this hall no more than anyone else. They were long gone. The locals feared lies and whispers through the mist and nothing more. A smile curled around Palpatines lips. That would change. Soon, they would have a face to place their fears in. 

He breathed in the thick air and closed his eyes, invisioning the future he had planned. It played as a stark contrast against the rubble and ruin around him. The endless hunger of the dark side only grew stronger as it sucked in his vision. It rushed into him, broke through the crumbling walls and wrapped itself around him until all he could feel was its power. It smiled at its once dead master, who had finally returned to bring it back to its seat of power. The dark side flowed through palpatine, and as it did so he grabbed it with the force. Ripped it out of its path and manipulated it as he wished. It willingly submitted to its master, whispering as it did so. "Rise from the ashes. Take back what's yours" it hissed. Palpatine nodded in agreement with his long lost friend. His smile grew as his grip tightened around his newest asset. It's glossy golden surface shone like a star in the dead night of the palace. The artefact. With it his future would be bright. The ancient siths greatest invention. The fabeled artefact he had only heard his master mention precious few times, now in his hands. And best of all, no one knew he had it. He scraped his sickeningly long fingernails across its shape. A few small drops of its green liquid fell to the floor. He had once promised to reveal the power of controlling life to his young apprentice, and Palpatine never went back on his promises. Twisted their meaning, perhaps. But break his word? Never. The dark side purred at his thought process. Yes, his apprentice. The once loyal heir to the Sith turned traitor. He would fulfil his promise to the chosen one, and Vader will love what he had planned. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. Yes, his future would be very bright indeed.

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A receptionists long fingernails clicked against her wooden desk in the far corner. The quiet conversations of the waiting rooms occupants drifted through the air. A water dispenser hummed to life as a twi'lek held her paper cup towards its tap. Pictures of health tips and diagrams were hung up around the walls. Everything about this waiting room annoyed Kylo. It was filled with ignorent, force blind fools.

He scowled, sitting unhappily on one of the many uncomfortable chairs within the waiting room. The chairs on the Starkiller base were far softer. Couldn't they at least find some cushioned chairs? The only reason people go here is when they're sick or when someone they know is sick. They're unhappy enough already, the least they deserve is comfortable kriffing chairs. He crossed his arms and looked for the hundredth time at the door to the private room his mother and grandfather were resting in. Not that he was worried. Sith didn't get worried, especially about other people. That would be absurd. So what was that sickining sinking feeling he had?

Han sat opposite him. His legs were shaking rapidly, and if one didn't know better, they would think he were immensely interested in the surface of the coffee table in front of him. It had been five hours and they still hadn't been told what was wrong with Leia and Vader, only that they were now stable but not ready for visitors. If this was the Starkiller base, nobody would have stopped him from seeing them. Kylo always knew that he was fighting on the right side, and this sorry excuse for a base was only reinforcing his ideals. Rey was also there, for some reason. Finn was there too. though he left a few minutes ago to use the restroom. When had he picked up all of these nobodies? They weren't even related to his family in any way. Why were they here? He shook his head, they were annoying that was for sure. The sooner Vader got better and they both left the better. 

He was broken from his thoughts when a nurse walked rather briskly towards the door, her heels clanked against the cold floor. She peeked inside, and appeared rather nervous about something. Her back was abnormally straight and she gripped her datapad tightly to her chest. Han seemed to notice too, he too turned his interest towards the nurse. Maybe they were finally about to get some answers.

"Hey, what's going on in there? When can I see my wife?" 

The nurse seemed to find it difficult to break her gaze from the room, but she eventually pulled herself together and turned to face them. With an obviously forced smile on her face. Honestly, the nurses in the Starkiller bases medical ward were also much more professional. 

"unfortunately their doctor must speak with them before they can see any visitors, you will have to consult with him afterwords" she said rather quickly. She glanced back towards the door once more. Kylo raised an eyebrow at her. She really wasn't acting normally, and he didn't like it one bit. 

"I want to see them, now" Kylo said in his well practiced, no-nonsense voice.

"I'm afraid that's not possible" 

Another nurse skittered past them and glanced inside, he looked questioningly at his datapad and then glanced into the room again. He gave the nurse addressing them an urgent look and motioned her away to the corner of the room. Where they both whispered in hushed tones. 

"What's wrong with them?" Rey asked beside him. He held back an annoyed sigh, couldn't she see that none of them knew the answer to that?

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out" Han muttered. He got to his feet and marched over to the receptionist. She also forced a smile as he barked at her angrily, waving one of his hands towards the door and pressing his other into his hip. Kylo shook his head, why was his dad always so embarrassing?! Some heads in the waiting room turned Hans way. Trying to avoid the scene his father was making, he turned to look towards the two nurses in the corner.

He took a deep breadth and focused on the force around him. It was muddled and distorted, like it had been since he landed on D'Qar. He didn't know why, but it continued to be infuriating. A grunt in frustration was all he allowed himself as he concentrated on his targets. Kylo took a deep breadth, and exhaled slowly, calling for the force to flow through his breadths. After a few moments it complied, and he could feel its energy pulsing through him. He directed it towards the nurses, beckoning it to help him. Slowly, their voices became clearer. He could hear them arguing, soon they were even louder than his abnoxious father.

"It can't really be him, there must be a mistake!" The male nurse hissed.

"The blood tests don't lie, Mark. It has to be him. I checked it three times." The female nurse reiterated. 

"How is that even possible? The guy looks nothing like him" The male nurse, Mark said sceptically.

"It can't be anyone else, and we never saw him without his suit on so who knows what he really looks like. Now you have to shut up about it or everyone will panic ok?" She bit back at him sternly.

"Are you kidding me? We have to tell someone! He's going to kill all of us!" 

"Ok, you go tell the commander. I'm going to go in there and try to get him to take some sedatives. And don't tell anyone else that it's Vader in there or we will have a kriffing riot!"

Kylo pulled back from the force as feelings of urgency threatened to overwhelm him. They knew. He glanced back a this father, who was still yelling at the receptionist. Kylo had to stop that nurse from telling the commander. He needed to protect his grandfather. If the base found out about him he could be killed. The two nurses pulled away for each other. The female went inside Vader and Leia's room while the male hurried towards the exit with a strained expression on his face. Kylo rose from his seat and bee-lined for the nurse. Mark stopped abruptly when he saw who was approaching him. Kylo jumped in front of him and glared down at the young nurse with as much venom as he could muster.

"Sir, or I mean Lord- um.... Ren, Kylo Ren, sir" He said uneasily.

Kylo pulled the force to him once more, but it resisted. Preferring to dance just out of his reach like it was playing a game with him. The nurse waited for a few moments as Kylo wrestled with the force. Although all the nurse could see was the odd, desperatly angry face Kylo was making at him. Mark moved to walk past him, and Kylo was forced to break concentration to stop him. 

"Sorry, but I need to leave"

He tried to pass again but Ben grabbed him forcefully by the arm. He took another deep breadth and tried to pull the force into his control, and finally it answered his call.

"You do not need to talk to the commander. You will go and have lunch" Kylo said with a wave of his hand.

The nurse gave him a confused look.

"What?"

It didn't work. "Dammit!" Kylo shouted a little louder than he should have. The entire waiting room turned to stare at his outburst. Han darted him a frustrated expression that screamed 'Not now Ben!'

Rippling waves of anger surged through Kylo. Why was the force running from him?! Why?! Why now!? He needed it more than ever! It was like he forgot how to use it!

"I- I have to go" the nurse said again.

"No! Your not going anywhere" Kylo said as calmly as he could. It wasn't very convincing.

The nurse tried to go around him. Clearly ignoring his orders, which was the last straw. Fuled by hours of pent up frustration Kylo grabbed him by both arms and threw him into a nearby seat. Mark cried with surprise and landed with a thump on the chair. 

"Kriffing hell Ben! What are you doing?" Han barked, leaving the receptionist and marching towards him.

"Unlike you, I'm actually protecting our family" Kylo spat back.

Hans eyes darted between Kylo and Mark. He analysed the nurse, who smiled at him uneasily with a mixture of embarrassment and fear. If so many people weren't looking Kylo would have drove his lightsaber through the pathetic nurse and his female companion before they could spill the beans to anyone else. But no, dad would freak out and the whole base should think he was the bad guy. Apparently everything here had to be worked out with 'words', as if they ever solved anything. 

Just then he heard Leia's muffled shouting from inside the room. Causing heads to swivel towards the door. He heard the nurse shouting next. Followed by the clattering of something falling over.

"What in seven hells..." Han started, he was abruptly cut off as the door flew open and the nurse practically fell out of the room.

"Your crazy!" She yelled.

"Calm down!" Leia shouted back. 

"Maybe I'll calm down when that psycho Sith can't kill me!" She screeched.

Leia charged out of the room after the nurse, she was wearing a simple patients gown, yet she still managed to look completly terrifying despite her vulnerable attire. Kylo had forgotten how scary his mom could be when she tried. 

"Uh oh" Mark whispered as he stared at the unfolding scene in horror. He clenched the armrests of his chair and pushed himself down further into the seat, as if he hoped his chair would open up and swallow him whole so he could escape the entire situation.

The nurse backed into the middle of the room. Leia followed, pointing an angry finger at her. The receptionist picked up her comm and started mumbling into it. Han was quick to notice and he darted over to her, taking the comm from her before she could alert anybody. It seemed that for once father and son were thinking the same thing, keep all of this contained. Han looked back at his wife and the nurse. The waiting room was deadly quiet as the two women stared at each other. Leia opened her mouth to speak but before she could Vader slid groggily out of the room. 

"Im not going to hurt you" he slurred, leaning against the doorframe for support. 

"Like hell your not, you murdered billions of people! Your a monster! I can't believe your helping him general Organa!"

Kylo took a second take, was Leia defending Vader? Why? He was sure his mother hated her father. His eyes moved to Vader who squinted at Leia and the nurse, something was wrong with him. Forgetting completly about Mark, Kylo hurried over to Vader who looked about ready to collapse onto the floor at any second. The nurse must have been able to drug him before the conflict started. Vader smiled lazily at Kylo as he grabbed hold of him.

"Ben, my only grandson. My favourite grandson. Wait do I have more grandchildren?" He said, leaning into Kylos chest and wrapping his arms around his waist. "This armour is really good quality, where did you get it?" He continued as he stared intently at Kylos chest, which was mere millimetres from his face. "Have you noticed that nearly every Sith wears black?"

Kylo looked back at his mother to see her look just as concerned as he was. She analysed Vader sloppily resting in Kylos arms for several moments. Her eyes flickered across Kylos briefly before returning their attention the the terrified nurse in front of them. 

"Whatever you gave him obviously did the job, and a commanding officer has already been alerted to his presence here, unless I have received demotion I am unaware of?" Leia said sternly, enough so to make the nurse blush slightly.

"Black capes, black cloaks, black cowls, black boots, black robes, black gloves. Black. black. black." Vader muttered as he sunk deeper into Kylos arms. Force his grandfather was heavy. 

The nurse seemed to be reevaluating her options, she clutched her datapad so tightly her kunckels went white. However after some time, she seemed come to an understanding, and relaxed somewhat.

"I-I apologise general, of course, you are correct. Though I must admit that I was somewhat surprised by his presence here" the nurse said as her gaze dropped to the ground.

"Of course, count Dooku wore more brown than black. He had fancy curved lightsabers too" Vader sounded ready to fall asleep at that moment. He yawned, now seeming to be completly unaware of his surroundings. "Never liked Dooku" he mumbled quietly into Kylos chest. Kylo had thought of himself as a strong person. But apparently not strong enough to easily hold Vader. His arms started to shake and he cursed his inability to call on the force to aid him.

"I will handle things from here. I would appreciate it if you would leave it to me to inform the base of its new occupant" Leia said, trying her best to maintain a serious atmosphere despite her fathers rambles behind her. 

The nurse hesitated for a few moments, then looked at Leia directly in the eye and nodded. "Of course, general" She turned on her heel and walked to Mark. Who was bright red, and still rather shaken from his encounter with Kylo. The nurse heelped him up and they both left the room. 

"Padmé didn't like Dooku either" Vader muttered softly. His grip around Kylo relaxed significantly, and his hands fell to the floor. Kylo really needed to either put Vader down or have someone help him, how one person could way this much was beyond him. 

"I like Padmé though" Vader said, so quietly that Kylo almost couldn't hear him. "She is my favourite person in the whole universe"

Kylo looked at his grandfather in confusion. Who was this Padmé?

Leia turned around and moved over towards Kylo. Han followed her, though he glanced around at the room full of very confused onlookers as he did so. Kylo caught a glimpse of Rey smirking at him from the other side of the room. As his eyes met hers she slowly got from her seat and started waking over to them.

"What happened in there?" Han hissed under his breadth at Leia, who was examining a now sleeping Vader. 

She glanced glanced at Han, contemplating something silently. Kylo really, really didn't want to ask for help. But he was going to drop Vader any moment now if he didn't put him down. He grimmanced and sucked in a deep, determined breadth. It was absolutely unacceptable for a Sith Lord to ask for the assistance of his parents. He could do this. Vader was only one man. 

At that moment Rey arrived, and she (of all people) noticed Kylos inner struggle. She eyed him with a mischevious smile. He darted her back an angry glare, but could feel his cheeks blushing red with embarrassment, ruining his attempt at intimidation. It was for times like this that he wore a mask. The hot chocolate incident was bad enough, without this tarnishing his reputation too. The worst part was that Rey seemed to love every second of his pain. The sight only facilitated for her smile grow further. She gazed down at his sleeping grandfather and then back at him, her eyes softening. She wrapped her arms around Vaders shoulder and hauled his sleeping form up so that he hung between them, and half of his weight was shifted onto Rey. Much to the relief of Kylo. He looked last past grandfathers drooping head to see her holding him with ease. She noticed him looking at her and granted him am arrogant smirk. Kylo scoffed to himself. She would drop him within seconds if she had to bear his entire weight. Then he would be the one smiling. 

"We will talk about this inside" Leia finally said, completly unaware of the silent conversation he just had with Rey, and ushering them all back into the room. Kylo frowned at he entry to the room. The three of them obviously wernt going to fit through the small doorway shoulder to shoulder, so he akwardly turned to the side and shuffled in, with Vader and Rey behind him. Leia followed, and once Han entered the door shut and they were finally free from the prying glares of the those outside. 

Kylo headed for the nearest bed, he had had enough of Vader sleeping on him. Rey and Kylo hauled him off their shoulders and lay him belly-down on the soft sheets. 

"Well, what happened?" Han asked again, he looked down at Vader. If the circumstances were different Kylo was sure his dad would have found Vaders drugged ramblings hilarious. 

"The nurse came in and injected Vader before we could ask her what she was doing. She explained to me who he was and that she needed to sedate him before he caused any harm" 

"What did you do? She ran outa that room like she was stuck in there with a rancor" Han questioned further. 

"I didn't do anything, Vader wasn't happy that she sedated him like she did. So he started arguing with her" 

"Did he try to hurt her?" Rey interrupted.

Leia sighed and Crossed her arms, contemplating the events that had just transpired. "Surprisingly not, but the nurse seemed terrified. Then he tried to stand up, and she seemed to think he was going to attack her so she pushed the coffee table onto him and ran out of the room. I ran after her, not wanting her to give away Vader before the time was right" 

"Huh, don't blame her" Han said, glancing down at Vader. 

Kylo rolled his eyes. They should be angry with that impotent nurse for drugging grandfather like that, not siding with her. He hated this family sometimes. 

"So what are we going to do now?" Rey asked before Kylo could voice his complaints.

Leia's eyes darted across the floor as she contemplated their options. 

"I doubt this is going to stay a secret for long. Even though it's somewhat unbelievable that Vader could be alive. Anyone who looks at Vaders medical file will see who he really is. I think that the best course of action is to address this issue before it gets out of hand and rumours start to spread. We need to tell them who he really is ourselves."

"They will want him dead!" Kylo retorted. It had taken him the best part of two years to set up that base on Nova Prime and create the facilities that would bring back his grandfather. His mother was threatening to throw all of that hard work away, and for what? The precious security of her resistance?! 

Leia looked up at him, her eyes cold and determined.

"Not if we approach this right. If the leaders of the resistance, along with myself approve of him then I think our men will accept him into our ranks. They trust us"

"What if Vader doesn't want to join your ranks?" Kylo scoffed. As if the dark lord of the Sith would and to join an anti-Imperial terrosist group like this. He was set on leaving this planet with his grandfather as soon as he woke up. The only reason he was here in the first place was because Vader insisted on coming. But they came and now they could leave this resistance behind and focus on important things; like taking over the Galaxy. 

"Then he is an official prisoner of the resistance" she said sternly. 

Why was she always like this?! She never agreed with anything he wanted, ever! He was the one who revived Vader, so he should be in command of what happens to him now that he's unconscious. Not to mention that Vader was his new master, and that as his apprentice he needed to protect him while he was incapacitated.

"That's not fair, you can't do that" Kylo barked.

"Look Ben, he ain't going anywhere" Han said.

Kylo was ready to explode. His parents always did this! They always sided with each other against him and made him feel completly wrong all the time. 

"How about we wait for him to wake up, and then inform the base?" Rey suggested.

Leia sat on the bed opposite her father and thought quietly for a few moments.

"It would be easier to convince the other leaders to support him if he were there to guarantee his loyalty" she said more to herself to anyone else. "But we have to inform them soon. We can't keep this secret for long, and if the resistance finds out the wrong way anything could happen"

"There, a compromise. Everyone happy?" Rey asked while looking at Kylo pointedly.

This still wasn't what he wanted. If things were going the right way he would be on the other side of the Galaxy right now learning lightsaber techniques from Vader. But he doubted his mother would settle for anything else. So he sighed an nodded, then looked away at the wall. Because if he looked at his parents any longer he was sure to storm out of the room.

"Are you ok princess? I haven't seen you since lunch" Han said as he sat beside his wife.

Leia rubbed the Side of her face, and let out a tired sigh.

"I'm fine now" she said tiredly. Now that the threat was over, everything that had happened that day seemed to be catching up with her. Or maybe it always had been as she was just acting strong to protect the family.

"What happened back there? Did Vader do something to you in the force?"

"I don't know. I had these visions, and I felt like I wasn't inside my own body. When I woke up, I was on the floor" she said, but didn't seem inclined to elaborate further. 

Han wisely realised that she was in no mood to talk, and cautiously wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Her entire body tensed the instant he touched her, but she didn't pull away. 

"Whatever it is, we'll get to the bottom of it. Don't worry princess, we'll figure this out. Like we always do"


	11. Misunderstood

Anakin woke slowly from a groggy sleep to be greeted with tired muscles and a piercing headache. His cheek felt wet against the pillow, and upon lifting his head slightly he felt a long trail of spit seep down his chin. Great, he was drooling. 

"Morning sleepyhead" a voice said from somewhere behind him.

"What?" He mumbled. For some reason, the he couldn't remember what he had been doing before he fell asleep. Even now, time seemed to be passing by like a blur in front of him. 

The girl, Rey was it?, got up from her seat and sauntered into view. She grinned at him like he was the most amusing sight in the world. 

"You were asleep" she stated as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a sitting position, which made his head spin and vision blur. He groaned disapprovingly and raised his arm to his head. Why was it so bright in here? 

"You've got great timing, you know that?" She chuckled. 

"What are you talking about? Why are you here?" He mumbled quietly, his ears hurt too. 

"I'm talking about General Organa setting setting up a meeting to decide if your going to be part of resistance or not, they just called to say it would be starting in fiveteen minutes, and I was told to find a way to wake you up. Though that doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. And I'm here because... Kylo didn't want Leia or Han staying with you as he didn't trust them. And Leia and Han didn't want Kylo staying with you for the sa,e reason and I happened to be nearby while they were arguing so they eventually decided to appoint me to look out for you while you were asleep." 

She paused for a second, but then her eyes widened as if she had just remembered something important 

"Oh and also, just so you know, everyone in the base knows who you are and I'm pretty sure they all want you dead."

Anakin struggled to keep up with her. His mind felt like sludge, had he been drugged or something? It was as if he had completely forgotten the past few hours.

"Wha- fiveteen minutes? Who wants to kill me? I-I... what were Kylo and Leia arguing about?"

Rey rolled her eyes expressively at him. She grabbed his arm again and pulled him to his feet. It took all of his self-control to not collapse into her arms. 

"Come on, Leia wants you there to defend yourself" she said as she pulled him towards the exit.

"Defend myself against what?! I'm in no condition to fight" 

"You don't have to fight, just talk. So you better some up with a good reason as to why the resistance shouldn't just shoot you where you stand, the other leaders don't seem to like you very much"

Oh force, fiveteen minutes? Defend himself? Being shot? What was she talking about? Why wasn't his mind working?! Whatever she was talking about seemed really important, yet he couldn't even form a constructive sentence to defend himself with.

Rey opened the door, and they were immediately met with a squadron of soldiers. Rey, seemingly threatened by their presence, pushed Anakin behind her and reached for her balster. Anakin peered over her shoulder at the soldiers, who were armed to the teeth with heavy duty blasters and riot gear. 

"General Organa ordered us to escort you to the meeting room" the foremost soldier said. Anakin couldn't really tell if he was lying or not, because he couldn't really read facial expressions at that moment. Maybe he should just... fall unto the floor and go back to sleep. It looked like a very comfortable floor. 

Rey mumbeled something, and the soldier mumbled something back. But Anakin couldn't understand them, he was to busy focusing all of his efforts on staying upright. Suddenly Rey jolted him forward with a sharp tug on his arm, and before he knew what was happening he was being hurried down a long corridor. The thunderous marching of boots and the even brighter hallway lights almost comepltly overcame his thought processes.

No, he has to concentrate. Rey had said that there was a... Meeting? He had to defend himself? And someone was going to shoot him? He would be needing a lightsaber if someone was going to try that.

"Rey, I need my lightsaber" He blurted at her. One of the soldiers gave him a threatening look, for some reason. Though Anakin couldn't fathom as to why. He only wanted to defend himself. Didn't he know that someone wanted to shoot him? Or maybe the soldiers wanted to shoot him. Force nothing was making sense.

"No you don't" was the resolute reply he was given. "What did that nurse give you?" Rey muttered as they turned a corner.

Anakin wanted to answer, but he didn't remember a nurse giving him anything. Then a door opened and they entered some sort of waiting room. Kylo was sitting on a bench in the corner. Even in his state, Anakin could tell that he wasn't happy.

He wanted to sit beside him, partly because he was sure he was going to fall over any moment now, but mostly because he wanted to see what was wrong with grandson. He tried to break free of Reys death grip, to no avail. The woman was much stronger than she looked. And before he could stop to try harder, he was marched through another set of doors and into a much larger room. 

It was a bit darker in here, making it much less painful to see. There was a large round table on the other side of the room. It looked like someone had moved it from its central position (as the tables in most meeting rooms were positioned) to the back of the room and taken away all the chairs on the closest side. Transforming the room into a ready-made court for the proceedings that were to follow. Leia was standing at the centre of the table, with several other people Anakin didn't recognise seated around her.

All but two guards left the room. Rey wasn't there either, was she back in the waiting room? Force he didn't even know. Anakin tried his best to appear in control as Leia nodded at him in greeting.

"Lord Vader, we have gathered to discuss to legitimacy of your presence within the resistance forces upon both D'Qar, and any official resistance base or station within the Galaxy" she said with a cool, professional tone. 

He didn't answer immidatly, mostly because he was still expecting someone to try to shoot him, also because the room was spinning and part of him was sure that if he made a sound the entire thing would flip ninety degrees and he would fall flat on his face. Maybe if he lay down on the floor the room would stop spinning. Or perhaps he would spin with the room. Now that would be interesting. He looked down at the floor and gave the legitimacy of his thought process some serious consideration.

"Lord Vader?" Leia asked, snapping Anakin out of his musings.

"Yes?" he asked, completly seriously. 

An middle-aged man with dusty blonde hair gave Leia a perplexed look. 

"Are you agreeable to joining the resistance? To fight against the tyranny of the first order?" 

Before Anakin could say a word a mon-calamari sitting at the far end of the table jutted in.

"It does not matter if he is agreeable or not, your highness. With all due respect, this man was an enemy of the rebellion, and an enemy of freedom. We have no place for his kind here" 

"I agree, general Organa, if this truly is Darth Vader then he must be eliminated before he can bring harm to the progress we have made since the empires demise" an balding old man said.

"My- my name is Anakin. Not Vader" Anakin grumbled.

A middle-aged man with dusty blonde hair sighed and shook his head. "HE doesn't even know if he is Vader. As far as I am concerned, the Emperors dog is dead"

"Vaders birth name was Anakin skywalker" Leia said, giving Vader a stern look that silently told him to stop being so unprofessional. Which, Anakin thought, was rather rude. 

He was being very professional. In fact, what was unprofessional, was the fact that everyone else here was sitting down on the other side of the table while he was being made to stand. That was unfair, unequal. An abuse of power if he ever saw one. He should go over there right now and lie down an that table at make a point. A peaceful protest against the tyranny of the resistance. No wait, that's a bad idea. Kriffing hell what was he thinking? 

"His name aside, this man is responsible for untold horrors. He cannot be allowed to join an organisation founded on the very princables he saught to destroy" a woman with jet black hair and purple lipstick said angrily. 

"It is very true that he does pose a threat to the resistance. However he is ignorent of the current state of our galaxies affairs, meaning he poses no immidate threat to us. It is important that he remains so, if the first order were to find him he would undoubtably be indoctrinated into their ranks and used against us. If he remains here, we can insure that he doesn't fall into to the hands of our enemy" Leia said confidently, force she sounded so much like Padmé.

"How do you knew that? For all we know he could have been alive this entire time and is simply feigning ignorance"

"Darth Vader was classified as a human male, who by all accounts should already have died of old age. There so no other way to explain his appearance other than a resurrection" Leia replied smoothly.

There was a short silence as the room uneasily took in the accusation that such a feat was possible. The leaders looked to one another uneasily.

"Then we should keep him as our prisoner, and have him put to trial for his crimes in the past" The mom-calamari said after some time.

Vader groaned, that was the last thing he wanted to happen. How could he protect anyone if he was in prison?

"No, you can't do that" he replied.

"Why not?" The woman with purple lipstick asked with a satisfied smile on her face.

Vader tried to gather his thoughts, and suddenly they all came barreling out from every corner in his mind, and before he knew it he was rattling them all off as they came to him.

"Well.. I-I have to find Luke because I don't know where he is or if he is ok and then find the artefact Kylo told me about and I have to stop this Snooke person. Then there is this 'Starkiller base' which I'm really hoping isn't a remake of the Death Star because that's what it sounds like but most importantly I have to stop the Emperor from-"

"What?" Leia asked sharply, cutting him off instantly. "Did you just say you have to stop the Emperor?" 

Anakin, somewhat confused as to why Leia couldn't understand why Sidious needed to be stopped, raised his eyebrows at her and was about to remind her of the Emperors two decade tyrannical rule over the Galaxy then explain everything he had done to get into power. Not to mention the fact that he posed a horrifyingly large threat to himself, their family and the Galaxy at large and say OF COURSE WE NEED TO STOP HIM but the woman with get black hair jumped out of her chair and pointed an accusing finger at him before he could even open his mouth.

"Their both alive general! they are working together, why else would he be here?" She barked angrily.

"They must be making a move to resurrect the empire" the balding man accused darkly.

Their shouting made it feel as though a speeder bike was ramming into the side of his head repeatedly. The room spun faster and faster.

"I say we interrogate him, he must know the Emperors location" 

"Vader, is Sidious really alive?" Leia asked, silencing the others. They all looked at him, most with a face of revulsion, some with a face of fear. Leia just looked confused.

It took a few minutes for his hammering headache to subside enough for him to formulate an answer. 

"Yes" he said slowly. 

He watched Leia's expression distort with raging anger and hurt. Her shoulders tensed and she squared him with a fiery eyes of pain.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Vader?" She asked, spitting out his name like it was poison on her tounge.

Now Anakin was even more confused. Why was everyone angry at him? Of force he really wished whatever was affecting his mind would wear off soon because this really wasn't going well for him. 

"I-I don't remember, and I don't know where the Emporer is" he said honestly, because he couldn't recall much of anything at that moment. His mind was painting pictures with broad strokes, telling him to find Luke and stop the Emperor. But the finer details of the past few days were slipping out of his grasp like sand.

Leia let out a sigh, her eyebrows hardened above steel eyes. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, not that you have given me any reason to by the way, and assume that the drugs the nurse gave you have made you delirious"

"General! We have to arrest him!" The balding man hissed. He slammed his faith against the table angerily. she turned her head and raised a hand to silence him. Then looked back at Anakin.

"Your obviously in no condition to represent yourself, your dismissed to the brig. We need to discuss this revelation in private, and you can defend yourself tomorrow when you are of sound mind" Leia said sternly.

She waved her hand to the guards, who grabbed his arms fiercely and lead him out of the room. Was he just demoted to a prisoner? Or was he a prisoner all along? One of the guards shoved his blaster into Anakins side.

"What's going on?" Kylo shouted, jumping out of his seat, Anakin saw his hand dart for the lightsaber tucked behind layers black robes. He shook his head sloppily at Kylo, knowing even in his incapacitated state that violence would drop nothing to help the situation. Kylo however, wasn't looking at him, he was glaring angrily athe the guards, who ignored him and shoved Anakin into the corridor rather forcefully.

Why was everybody acting like they hated him? Didn't they know that he wanted to stop Sidious as much as everyone else yet he was being treated like the enemy. The guards pushed him down the long corridor towards the detention block. He heard the door opening behind them as Kylo gave chase.

"Stop!" Kylo barked, igniting his lightsaber and charging after them. 

The guards pushed Anakin forward and released him, causing him to fall flat unto the floor with a painful thud. He huffed at the I soft and was momentarily stunned. The guards turned and raised their balsters at Kylo, who was marching towards them with a deathly glint in his eyes. The sounds of blaster shots rung in his ears, then the 'whoosh' of a lightsaber zipping through the air. A pained scream, then the body of a guard landed in front of his face.

The body's dead eyes looked straight into his, caught in an expression of terror. He had to stop Kylo. Anakin heaved himself into a sitting position just as Kylo cut the second guard in half with one fowl sweep of his blood red blade. Just behind Kylo, Anakin caught sight of Leia sprinting up the corridor towards them.

"Ben don't!" She shouted.

"You wont get away with this mother" Kylo snarled, with uncanny calm. His black robed billowed in a single swooping flurry as he turned to face his mother. Kylo raised held the tip of his blade out towards Leia, forcing her to halt several feet away from them.

"Ben, stop" Anakin said as loudly as he could, but it didn't seem to draw his furious grandsons attention.

"She wants to keep you here? Against your will!?" Kylo asked Anakin with such venom that his voice cracked mid sentence.

Oh force, curse that nurse for impeding him like this. If only he could find enough focus to use the force, he would be able to overpower Ben and force him to listen to reason. But alas, that was a feat far from consideration at that moment. He would have to try to talk some sense into the boy.

"I-I think this is all a big misunderstanding" he said, struggling to not slur his words. 

"Put down the lightsaber Ben" leia said. 

"It's- we all" Anakin started, trying to find the right words to quell his enraged grandson. "We.... we're family we can't kill each other" he finally said. Though he sound more akin to a whiney child than he would have liked. He hated feeling so incapable like this. 

"You won't put him in a prison cell" Kylo replied. His presence in the force was smothered in the black tar of the dark side. 

"I have to Ben, put down the lightsaber and listen to me!" Leia choked. 

"Listen to you?! You never listen to me!" Kylo shot back. Anakin heard Leia's voice break as she began to cry, making his chest constrict and the thought. 

"I hate you! I hate everything you stand for!"

Kylo stepped forward and raised his lightsaber at Leia. Anakin struggled to his feet in desperation, but fell back to the floor before he could even straighten his knees.

"Ben! Stop this madness! Come back to me!" Her pleas sounded eerily like those Padmé had cried to him all those years ago on Mustafar. Causing shivers of fear to dart down his spine and dig into his stomach.

Kylo ignored his mothers pleas, and shook his head. Then, with a cruel scream, he flung his lightsaber down the corridor. It spun through the air, straight for Leia's neck. Anakin cried out involuntarily at the sight. If only he could just use the force! He had to do something! Anything! Why was he so useless! The saber was about to make impact, but just as it began to graze Leia's neck, it lurched violently out of the way and flew down the corridor, straight into Reys open hand.

Anakin felt as though his heart was about to give out from the stress. Leia was frozen still between Kylo and Rey. Her face was red with shock and panic. And Anakin wanted nothing more than to run over to her and console her. But he couldn't, he couldn't do anything but stare in horror at the scene unfolding in front of him.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rey's eyes grew wide as adrenaline pumped through her vains. Yet, despite the fact that she had no training whatsoever, she slowly drew Kylos lightsaber into a sloppy guard and readied herself for a confrontation. 

This had not been how she anticipated the meeting to end, with an enraged Kylo Ren rampaging through the corridors. She had heard screaming coming from their location, and had run to help without giving a second thought to the danger she may face. And when she saw Kylo's lightsaber spinning straight for the general she didn't think twice, she raised her hand and, by some miracle, managed to find an energy within her. An energy to allowed her to grab the lightsaber straight out of the air and pull it towards her.

Now Kylo stood opposite her, with fiery yellow eyes so different to the deep brown ones that she was so accustomed to. His lips were bent into a grimace full of malice.

"Stupid girl" Kylo spat. He shoved Leia out of the way carelessly, she fell backwards and tripped, banging her head against he wall and falling to the ground like a rag doll. She drooped against he floor, unconcious. Rey gasped at the sight, Leia needed help. But Kylo was between them, he marched towards Rey, and raised an open hand towards her. Rey could feel waves of energy gathering in his fingertips. He was going to use to force to attack her, and she somehow knew when he was going to do it too, because just as a wave of lightning erupted from his hand and rattled towards her she ducked to her knees and slid towards him. Rey swung low at his legs, causing Kylo to jump back. 

She jumped to her feet and swung the lightsaber at him again, but as the red blade was about to cut into his shoulder, he grabbed her hand. Freezing the advance of the blade. She was so close to his face she could feel his hot breadth against her face. The only thing between them was the sizzling red lightsaber they were both grappling for. His yellow eyes bled a primal anger that caused daggers of fear to rip into her. She took a deep breadth, she was the only one who could stop him. Fear would only hold her back 

She summoned all of her valour and pushed against his strength, but he was stronger. He squeezed her hand with inhuman power, causing her to cry out in pain. And as her grip of the saber weakened, he ripped her hand off the hilt. It fell into his free hand and before she knew what was happening the blade was hissing through the air towards her.


	12. When the dark side comes knocking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First of all I would like to say I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN AGES. Nothing big happened in my life and I'm not dead so you can all put away your hankies. My lack of content has literally just been a mixture of allocating a lot of my time to studying for my senior year of school and not feeling very inspired. But I managed to get out of my rut by setting up an account on fanfiction.net and re-posting my stories there. 
> 
> I hope you all aren't to angry at me, but hey... I'm um... giving you this chapter as a sort of peace offering. Its a pretty intense roller coaster of emotions so strap in! Enjoy the ride and ready yourselves for some intense sithyness.
> 
> Also, I've been feeling a bit insecure about the flow of this story because when I started it I didn't really have any direction for it to go in and was writing it as it came to my mind but now that I do have a more solid plan to work with I'm a little peeved about the giant intensity jumps the past few chapters have taken. So to counter it I'm hoping to make the next few chapters a lot calmer, with more everyday scenes and the characters resolving some of their differences to basically unwind the giant knot of stress in the story before adding any new aspects in the plot. What do you think of that course of action? Feedback on this would be very helpful and most appreciated!
> 
> Thank you for reading! x

Words couldn't describe the raging emotions Kylo felt. Angry would be an understatement. To say he was angry would be to say that Hoth was a little chilly. Furious, now you were getting a bit closer. Uncontrollably enraged beyond the point of reasoning? Now that would probably be the best way of putting it.

His mother, his asinine, inconsiderate mother had for some reason decided to lock away the kriffing chosen one! Decided to lock away her father! Decided to lock away the only person ALIVE who Kylo actually LIKED. And all because of What?! Because she didn't like him?! Because he didn't agree with her stupid 'morals'?! Because she couldn't see past her own closed off perspective of the world for two minutes to actually try to look at things from the shoes of someone else?!

So she would rather lock them up and throw away the key and forget about them forever because they were 'evil'?! It was such an ignorant concept it made his blood boil! Now this pathetic girl was going to side with them?! She was not only going to allow for this to happen but prevent him from stepping in and defending his completely innocent grandfather? This whole situation was absurd! The force was screaming at him to do something! How could he not answer its call?

He allowed the force, in all of its thick, dark power, to surge through his arm, to flow into his fingers so he could crush Rey had and finish her. He needed to leave, to get out of here and away from these people. They drugged him! He nearly spat in the girls face as he thought about it. 'They planned that, you know. They were going to drug you next' the force hissed. Rey's eyes sparkled with determination, her awakening force signature pushed against his. It only made him angrier. Why is she defending them?! Crushing her had with one last mighty 'scrunch', the girls face morphed into an expression of pain and she finally let his saber go.

He caught it quickly, spinning his arm around to swing at her head. It was time to finish this. They resistance had shown him their true colors once more and now he would take the only option they gave him. Leave forever. 

***

His head was pounding, his legs were weak, he felt nauseous. It felt as though every single star in the galaxy had just exploded, ripping the galaxy apart and destroying any hope he had ever felt. Leia lay there, just a few meters from him, lifeless. At that moment, nothing seemed important anymore. How could it, when his only daughter was... was just lying there, with blood trickling slowly out the open wound in her head. It was surreal. It was devastating. The sight was so empty and yet so painful. It was everything and nothing all at the one time. 

It wasn't like when he had seen Padme hurt. Then, he had been so overwhelmingly enraged from a night of slaughter and death that he became little more than a rabid animal. A rabid animal that was chock fully of just about every conceivable emotion. Betrayl, greed, hatred, joy, anxiety, confidence. All fighting for dominance within his conflicted mind.

But now, the sight of his daughter lying there just left him... empty. It was like a dream. Nothing mattered. The sounds of people fighting registered in the back of his mind. But Anakin couldn't tear his eyes away from the blood. He couldn't move or think or feel or react. It was like he was paralyzed. His vision was getting darker and darker every second. Was he going to pass out? Was he about to faint? Questions his intoxicated brain asked him silently as he... just... stared. There was so much blood.

"Anakin" 

The voice was soft. So quiet and comforting. Like a summer breeze calmly brushing against his thoughts. So soft it barley registered with him. He quickly forgot about it. His entire attention was focused on the blood. It matted her delicate hair and tarnished the kindness of her face.

"Anakin"

She just lay there, lifeless, right in front of him. She looked like Padme had the last time he saw her; on Mustafar.

The blood weaved its way between her hair like a delicate ribbon that trailed out along the floor as she slept. She always looked so peaceful while asleep. With her curly brown hair poofing out around her perfect face like a ready made cushion gifted to her by the maker himself. 

"Anakin" She said, turning her face to look at him. She smiled, but he could see the tiredness in her eyes. She must have been so exhausted that she didn't even have the time to undress before falling asleep on their bed. Her long red and silver dress still clung tightly to her figure. The red ribbons that once spiraled around her curls now tangled them. It would be a nightmare to get them all out.

"I think I'm going to need your help getting all of this off" She said with a smile, indicating lazily at herself.

He scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning against the door frame causally.

"I thought that's what your handmaidens were for" He joked, allowing a teasing smile to play with his features.

"You know that they have to prepare for the dinner later on" She said sternly. But she wasn't fooling him, he could see his own playfulness reflected on her features, even if she was trying to hide it.

"You senators and your fancy dinners" 

She rolled her eyes at him and reached a hand towards him in a silent offering of embrace. He happily obliged, coming closer to put his hand in hers. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as he looked into her shiny red nails.

"Padme, do you think I'll make a good father?" He asked quietly, because he was almost to afraid of the answer to even ask.

Another hand moves to cup his face, it gently pushes him towards her. But he still looked away, keeping his eyes firmly placed on the golden necklace around her neck.

"Anakin" 

Hesitantly, he looked up to see a pair of deep brown eyes filled with love and concern staring into his.

"Of course you will"

She plants a soft, light kiss on his cheek, then releases him from her hold. She lays back down on the bed. She lays there, in a certain silent peace for a long while. Anakin cant help but stand there like a dumbfounded child. Her beauty will never cease to enthrall him. 

"You need to use the force" She says.

He raised an eyebrow at her. Why would he need to use the force here? When his only companion was her? She remained silent despite his unasked question.

"Use the force, Ani. And everything will be ok" Her head landed on the pillow, and all the red ribbons spilled out of her hair and unto the bed. She closed her eyes.

"Use the force" She says again. But he doesn't understand. Use the force? In what way? Why? He walked around the bed to place his hand in hers again. Suddenly her eyes flashed open. And they had gained an intensity he hadn't expected.

"Use the force" She says earnestly.

He takes an uneasy breath. She looked upset, why was his angel upset?

"Use it Ani, use it now!" 

He doesn't know what she wanted from him, but he obliged anyway. He would do anything for her. He closed his eyes and focused on her presence, using its calming aura to give him strength. Suddenly her hand was on his shoulder, gripping it with intensity. Her desperation spured him on, gave him the drive he needed. The force rushed towards him like a hurricane. But instead of blowing him away it billowed around his mind. Submitting willing to his control as it cascaded around faster and faster.

"Use the force!" She screamed from within the eye of the storm. Her crys merging with he thunderous noise of the wind crashing into his ears. The force ripped into his body, purging both his mind and soul. It was unrelentingly aggressive, yet the more it crashed against him calmer he became. The storm was dangerous, it was devastating. It showed no mercy. But it was his. It was always his. It knew him as a son, and where it would have swallowed up anyone else, it bowed to him. 

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, instantly locking unto a pair of brown ones. Leia. She was awake, if only barley. 

"Use the force" She whispered, with one hand weakly shaking his shoulder. Her face was marred with fear. 

He nodded quickly as the events of the day drove through his mind like a daredevils speeder. As he did so the force pulled him up, then snapped his head down the hall. Kylo and Rey were grappling for a lightsaber. He assessed the situation almost like a droid. Kylo was the threat, not Rey. Kylo must be stopped before this escalated further.

He marched towards them. Rey screamed in pain and Kylo immediately grabbed the light saber. The sounds of Anakins boots clanking against the ground gave the storm within him a rhythm. Kylo raised his hand in preparation to carry out a fatal maneuver. The blade soared through the air. 

"No!" Anakin yelled viciously. The force exploded the second he gave it a voice. It burst through him and sent an overwhelming wave of pure energy forward. Both Rey and Kylo were blasted down the corridor. But the boots kept marching. The force followed fervently; obeying him and only him. 

Both Rey and Kylo began to get up. The second Kylos hand reached to the wall he was blasted back again by another unstoppable wave of energy. Anakin ignored Rey completely, instead he kept marching after his estranged grandson.

"You fool!" Anakin yelled. The force vibrated against his words, feeding him more and more sheer, unconditional power.

Kylo looked at him with a face of panic and confusion as he lay helplessly on the ground several feet away. How dare he even gaze upon him with those yellow eyes. Sith eyes!

"Grandfather they-"

"No!" Anakin barked. 

He pinned him against the wall with a flick of his wrists. Pushing him up until his feet dangled helplessly in the air. Kylos force presence felt like that of an ants compared to his. 

"Don't you understand? Cant you see that the dark side has done nothing but rip this family apart?!" Anakin spat. 

Kylo just stared at him. He suddenly looked very young, and very confused. 

"Why are you doing this?" He screamed, as he was assaulted with torrents of fear and anger. The emotions crashed against him with just as much strenght as the force. How could he have let his won grandson be corrupted by the dark side like he once was? Why wasn't he there for him when he was obviously needed?! Why could he never save those he loved!? 

"Why, Ben?" The force rushed around his being, taking his emotions and using the spur on its own strength. Faster and faster is went, his hands were shaking again. He was ready to burst, ready to release all of this energy on Kylo. How could he?! He nearly killed Leia! He is turning into another Vader! The storm griped unto Kylos neck. He had to be stopped! he had to- Anakin had to-

Suddenly a pair of hands clamped down on his shoulders and pulled him back. He resisted, called on the force to push this being away. But suddenly the storm is pushing against him. It imploded upon his being, violently punishing his inaction. 

"No! Stop!" He yelled, wanting desperately tell whoever was stopping him to go away. But he couldn't. He couldn't even think straight. The force was laughing at his weakness. The dark side spilled into his mind effortlessly. Taunting him cruelly.

He was pushed against a wall, Reys face appeared in his vision. but not for long, she swooped around to catch Kylo as he fell to the floor in a heap. His grandson looked so weak at that moment. And the sight of him sent Anakin reeling. He had nearly killed him.Oh force, what had he done? Again, paralysis took hold of him, and he can do nothing but stare in horror as another one who shared his blood lay so vulnerably on the ground. The power of the force drained away from him as he took in the sight. 

Rey snapped her head back around to Anakin, she looked oddly in control. Her eyes looked him over for a split second before she got up and moved quickly to where Leia was lying.

The sounds of desperate voices echoed around the corridor. Several people past him by. Everything felt like a blur. Yet as he disconnected from the real world his mind began to become clearer. Why couldn't they just be normal? Why couldn't he have just been a freighter pilot? Why did his family always seem to be fighting on opposite ends of a war? He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Panicking in this situation would get him nowhere, just like dreaming of a different life did. 

He looked back a kylo, who had his head in his hands, with fingers pulling at shaggy black hair . His knees were pulled tightly up to his face. He was confused, and scared. His entire posture screamed of an inner turmoil that was yet to be voiced. He was ripe to be turned from the light. A few simple words would cast his lost thoughts away from anything bright forever. Maybe even make him paranoid; make him think that everyone he once called his family were actually his enemies. He was so naive, so confused and so desperate that he looked willing to bow down to the first person that even hinted at resolving his problems. And he was so much like Anakin that it physically hurt.

The realization left him feeling dead. How had he not have seen it sooner? The outbursts, the confusion, the fear. It had all been there from the beginning. The man didn't need to be stopped. He didn't need those he cared for turning away from him. He didn't need to be renounced of all hope or love. He needed to be understood. He needed someone who knew what he was going through to keep him along the right path. To tell him that just because he turned from the light didn't mean he had to remain blind forever. And there was only one person in the entire galaxy who could do that, who had been though Kylos hell.

Anakin wearily picked himself up off the ground, and took a step towards his grandson. Kylo looked up at him in fear. Tears were streaming down his face, he jolted slightly with every breath as he struggled to keep his shameful sobbing silent. His once yellow eyes were as brown as his grandmothers. He watched Anakin in open distrust as he moved to sit beside him. But Anakin payed it little head. Kylo starred at him as Anakin leaned back against the wall and pulled his knees up to his chest too. 

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The sounds of medics rushing Leia away could be heard in the distance. He could feel her signature in the force. She was badly injured, but she would live. No matter how much he wanted to run after her, he didn't. His grandson needed him more. 

"You hate me don't you?" Kylo choked through his tears. 

Anakin opened his eyes, and slowly allowed them to find Kylos face. His grandson was barley holding it together. His eyes were those of a man resigned to his fate. They were heavy with loss and pain.

"No Ben, I will never hate you" He said calmly, allowing the truth of his words to guide his expression.

Kylo looks unconvinced, his hands griped around his knees harder. He was shaking.

"Your lying" 

Anakin took a deep breath and allowed a small, sad smirk to cross his features.

"An apprentice never questions his master" 

Kylos breath caught. The shaking stopped and suddenly he was stiffer than stone. His eyes grew so wide Anakin thought they were about to fall out of their sockets.

"A-A-Apprentice?" Kylo spluttered in disbelief. Anakin nodded silently, allowing his eyes to affirm his statement.

Suddenly the damn is opened and Kylo burst into loud, choking sobs. Anakin wrapped a single arm around his grandson, who buried his face into Anakins shoulder. His wet tears quickly penetrated Anakins light, hosiptal issued tunic and started to seep into his skin. He pays it little heed. An apprentice. Possibly the most troubled, lost and confused apprentice Anakin has ever, or will ever have. But most definitely the one who needed him the most. 

An apprentice. He allowed the word to wash over his mind. Anakin was a broken, guilt ridden and desperately used monster. One who had murdered billions. A monster, who hide away from his guilt in the pits of the dark side for years. One who many would consider completely unfit to speak to, let alone train a lost and confused boy such as Kylo. But Anakin had never been one to do things by the book. As far as he was concerned, he was just about the only person alive who could even come close to understanding what Kylo was going through. Why couldn't a monster train a monster? How can one how to heave another out of the pits of the dark side if they had never jumped in themselves? 

Anakin rested his tired head against Kylos. The boy was still sobbing loudly, though not as much as before. He seemed to be calming down. His apprentice. His hated and feared apprentice, a dark lord of the sith crying on his shoulders. Just the sight alone made Anakin scoff at the teachings of the Jedi. Sith were supposed to be evil, emotionless beings who embodied everything wrong with the galaxy. How blind they truly were. Of course he was the only one who could train him. He was the only one who was both sith and Jedi. The only one who knew the strengths and weaknesses of both. The only one who understood. Who completely and honestly say that he understood both sides in and out. The only one who could say without a shadow of a doubt that he, above all others could understand Kylo. Train him? He honestly didn't know. But did he understand him? Yes. Was he the only one who could even begin to try to bring someone back from the dark side? Yes. Threefore, he had to try. Determination struck its confident boot into the peak of his mind. He could do this. He had to. He wanted to. Kylo needed him to. So he would.

"Yes, apprentice"


	13. Sweet wrappers

If there was one thing Anakin Skywalker enjoyed about his new lease of life, it would be the food. Everything from the plainest of crackers to the most luxurious of chocolates was a gift to him. One he didn't take lightly; never would he take for granted the harder than normal texture of slightly gone off bread in his mouth again. 

It almost made him forget that everyone in the canteen had actively moved to the opposite corner of the room when he took his seat, almost. It was hard to miss being a good ten tables away from the nearest living being.

Still, he munched on his bread, quite content to sit on his own and enjoy the ability to eat a real meal instead of paste for the first time in decades. Sure, he had a spoonful of bantha stew when he first arrived, but unfortunately that delicacy was spoiled by his daughter figuring out who exactly he was and having a minor breakdown in front of him.

Now the only thing that was coming close to spoiling his meal was boredom. Everthing had been quiet since Leia's return to hospital. The leaders were gruffly awaiting her recovery before deciding either his, or Kylos fate. Frankly, he was surprised he wasn't in chains right now. It seemed that someone had told command that he had been the one to Save Leia's life, and that was apparently enough to save him from complete confinement within the depth of the resistance base. The fact that Ben on the other hand, was sitting in a prison cell was less than surprising.

It seemed that most of the occupants of D'Qar would be happier if he goined his new apprentice, despite his sanctions in their favour. In fact, Vader was quite sure that many people didn't even believe that he had tried to stop Kylo. He couldn't blame them; he was after all one of the most feared and ruthless beings in the Galaxy in his day. Though that still didn't stop the glares and quiet murmurs making their way across the canteen floor to go unnoticed. 

Honestly, if he had anywhere better to be he would be there, but he didn't. He wasn't aloud to be anywhere but his temporary quarters, the canteen and the hallway that connected them at any given time. And if he really needed to go somewhere, he had to get express permission from command to do so. So, as a result, he had resorted to having his meals in the canteen over taking them back to his quarters simply because if he had to stare at the plain white washed walls of his room any longer he was sure he would go insane. 

Just as he took another bite of his bread Rey strode confidently into the canteen, causing a few people to glance her direction before inevitably returning to casting sour stares his way. His gaze was drawn the her hand, which was wrapped in bandages, and he couldn't help but wince. She looked deep in thought as she waited in line for her food. Her eyes flicked ever so slightly from side to side as though she were reliving some scene in her head. Probably Bens 'outburst' a few days ago.

Just being reminded of that day sent shivers of emotion down his back; an unfortunate mix of guilt and regret that clung to too many of his memories. But it also caused a small, almost unnoticeable smile to creep across his features. That girl really was something. If Rey hadn't been there to save that day Leia would probably be dead now. She had even managed to hold her own against a fully trained, and enraged Sith long enough for Anakin to regain his senses. 

He had been told whatever that nurse had given him wasn't supposed to have fully worn off for another day, but whatever came over him seemed to have done the trick. Though insisting that the 'power of the force' fixed him didn't exactly satisfy the medical droids who tended to him afterwords, and they had insisted he stayed for more extensive testing. His only reply was to swiftly shut them all down, wipe their memories and leave before they could report their plan of action to anyone organic. 

Rey watched dejectedly as the cook behind the counter spooned a heap of brown sticky pulp into her bowl and dropped some bread at its side. He supposed that that look meant the even food on Jakkau was better than this. He looked down at his own meal to compare it to hers. In spite of him, the cook had only given him bread, stating that the 'soup' was for resistance fighters, an since he wasn't part of the resistance he couldn't have any. But by the way people around him were eyeing that pulp, he suspected that she had unwittingly done him a favour.

Rey smiled in thanks at the cook (who growled at her in responce) then began making her way to an empty seat. Seeing that he had observed everything he needed to, Anakin quickly became lost in his thoughts. Mainly, how the hell he was going to train Ben. And that was only IF he managed to convince just about the entire planets population to let him out of prison. Force, why was his grandson could be impossible sometimes. Who has a meltdown like that just because someone (and Vader himself of all people) was going to spend a few hours at best in the brig? Why did it seem like his linage only ever inherited his bad traits? 

Suddenly, the sound of a tray landing on the metal of the table brought him out of his thoughts with a jump.

Rey plopped into the seat opposite him, a big smile on her face in greeting. He only raised an eyebrow at her in retort. But of course, she wasn't that easy. Despite seeing his face, and no doubt understanding his silent question, she quietly took a bite of her bread. 

He could only sigh.

"What do you want, Rey?"

"To eat my dinner" she said with a shrug. She took a tentitave sip of her soup before twisting her face in disgust. Trying in vain to hold back the coughing gag that followed. She turned away for him as she struggled to swallow the food, clutching her hand to her chest as she did so. 

Anakin was not empathetic to her plight. Ignoring her distress, he continued to scrutinise her reasoning for being there, in front of him, the man the entire galaxy hated and feared in equal proportions. 

"You have not eaten your food with me before, and it is not as though the canteen is lacking in empty seats" he said as he motioned towards the small sea of tables separating them from everyone else.

"I wanted to keep you company" she said as she finally managed to compose herself again.

He looked at her sternly, seeing through her thin lie easily through the force. 

"Even dark lords get lonely sometimes" she murmered, he isn't sure if she is trying to convince him or herself. 

"If you want something from me, then say it. Otherwise you can leave" he barked. He never really was one for idle conversation anyway. The only person he would even consider allowing to eat lunch with him would be Luke, or Leia. Though, to his severe disappointment, he is sure that Leia will never eat lunch with him so long as she knows who he is.

At this she seems to falter, because she sighs and looks down at her food in defeat. He watches her intently as she gathers herself for whatever she is going to say.

Leaning in, she whispered "I talked to Kylo this morning" 

Instantly Anakins expression morphed into one of surprise. A small tug of a small pulled at Reys lips at his reaction. Which only troubled him more.

"What?! Only command has clearance to see him" he exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice down. What she had done was completly against the rules. Anakin couldn't for the life of him figure out why she would want to put her place in the resistance in jeprody to go and see a man who just a few days ago had tried to kill her. Or maybe thats it, maybe she wanted revenge.

"If your going act out I'm not going to talk to you about it" she said, leaning back in her chair.

His eyes widened ever so slightly; when was he last time someone even dared to threaten him like that? When was the last time anyone had even dare to withhold information from him like this? Part of him got angry at her gall, while another part wanted to pat her on the back for her bravado. He looked at her with bemusement you for a few moments, then Rey looked over at the other occupants of the canteen. Anakin followed her gaze to see that nearly everyone was looking at them now. Apparently eating with darth Vader merited as big news around here.

"You could have chosen somewhere more private" He scolded, deciding that it was probably best to ignore her disregard for his reputation lest his anger bring out his... Less pleasant traits. 

As soon as the words left his mouth Reys fearless eyes darted back towards Anakin to shoot daggers his way. 

"I tried! But you never answer the door to your quarters!" 

"What do you expect? Everyone wants to kill me!" He exclaimed, remembering very clearly the small pile of death notes he had received thoughout his time here mounting in his room. 

Both of them glared at each other with equal levels of fury for a good minute. 

"You should have commend me" Anakin eventually growled through gritted teeth.

"You never gave me your comm code" Rey hissed back.

Anakin shook his head and looked back at their audience. This girl was being impossible, or maybe he was the impossible one. He couldn't even tell anymore. All he knew was that this entire conversation wasn't working. At all. As he looked over the people opposite him he noticed one guy was taking a picture of them.

"Look, let's just to your quarters now, ok?" She said a little less aggressively, drawing his attention back to her.

He sighed and absently ran a hand through his hair. Force, if somethings happened, if she has done something stupid and somehow managed to make Kylos position even worse than it was... A surge of anger briefly pulsed though his system at the thought. And it wasn't like he could do anything while trapped under what essentially was house arrest with the entire base watching his every move. Yet he still wanted to help, if there was something wrong. 

And then there was the issue that Anakin had been hoarding an unnecessary amount of sweets (and by extension sweet wrappers) in his room. But it wasn't like anyone could blame him right? Who could resist the temptation of multi-coloured, multi-flavoured candy when they were bored out of their mind and hadn't eaten anything remotely tasty in decades? 

"Fine, but don't say a word about its appearance to anyone" he said, deciding to humor her.

Now Rey was cocking an eyebrow at him. 

"Fine, deal"

***

"Leia's going to kill me" Han signed as he rested his hands on is hips.

Chewbacca roared some words of reassurance from the bottom of the repair shaft in the falcon. 

He started to pace around he cramped engine room.

"What was I thinking? Bringing Ben here?!" 

His friends furry brown head pocked out the top of the shaft. 

"I should've just stuck to smuggling, you should never have let me stay with the rebellion in the first place!"

Chewbacca murmured a long line of low grunts as he heaved himself out of the shaft.

"Of course I mean it! Hell, we'd be rich by now!" 

He sat amongst the pile of disorganised tools and broken ship parts.

"We could be sippin' Corillian wine on a beach somewhere in Naboo"

Chewbacca walked over to him and crossed his arms long his chest, growling at him condescendingly.

Han could only let out a strained laugh.

"Don't even get me started with Vader"

With a consoling murmur, chewbacca sat down beside him. The impact of the wookies fall caused a small explosion of brown hairs to fly into the air.

"I just don't know where I went wrong, ya' know? One minute I'm playin' spaceships with him and the next he's run off to join some kriffing Sith order or whatever they are"

He ran his fingers along the grated floor, allowing a few moments of silence as he thought.

"I should've been there for him more"

Chewbacca roared loudly at him and banged his fists against the floor. Han looked up at his friend, his face turning sour.

"No, I wasn't! Me and her highness were to busy fighting to see what was really goin' on with him" 

He leaned his head against the wall, listening silently to chewbaccas reassuring words. His little Ben, who once needed to sleep with him at night because the dark was to scary, who once insisted that Han piggy-back him everywhere, was... Was a murderer. Had tried to kill is own mother. What had the Galaxy come to?

"It's all my fault Chewie"

Suddenly, a pair of shaggy paws grabbed his shoulders tightly. He looked up to see chewbaccas face centimetres from his, a determined glint shone in the wookies brown eyes.

He growled out a low sentence that had Han looking back.

-It's not to late to change everything-

***

In all her life, of all of the situations she had thought she may find herself in, sitting in between a mess of clothes, droid parts, and sweet wrappers on the floor of reincarnated Darth Vaders quarters (who looked like he had neither slept nor shaved in days), discussing his grandson, who was a leading memeber of the first order in, yep, that's right, the resistance headquarters while the entire base plotted to kill him was not one of them.

She ideally examined a piece of green and purple wrapping paper as Vader paced (or at least tried to pace) through the mess on the floor.

"How did you get into the brig without permission? Why? I don't understand"

"Well, that's why I came here" she said hesitantly, not quite sure if she is should be doing this or not. But, despite her uncertainty, she was sure about one thing. He was the only person who could help her. 

Vader stopped his pacing for a brief moment to give her a curious look, and she took that as her que to continue.

"it- it was like... I could hear him, Kylo I mean, in my head"

Vaders eyes widened slightly, and she suddenly felt very exposed.

"I'm not crazy, am I?" 

"He spoke to you did he? What did he say?" Vader asked, completly ignoring her question, which did nothing to imporove her already distasteful opinion of him. Despite the fact that Vader saved her life a few days ago, she was still rather adamant that she disliked him; he was demanding, rude and completly unpredictable. Then of course there was the fact that he had murdered several billion people in his day.

"Nothing, but it felt like he was telling me to come to him. Did he mind trick me?" 

Vader started muttering something under his breath, looking deep in thought. 

"And when you got there, what did he say?" Vader said, staring at the floor intensely as he walked like it held all of the answers to the universe.

Rey could feel frustration mounts within her, she never should have come here, and she should have expected him to act like this. Asking and asking and never helping her in return. Honestly, she was nervous enough about the entire situation herself without him treating her like an information droid.

"Could you please answer some my questions?" She barked at him, which, at last, drew his full attention. 

"...what?" He asked, looking as though he was comg out of a daze.

"Did he mind trick me?" She asked him earnestly.

He stood there for a few moments looking conflicted about something, like he did back on the Falcon, then his vision cleared. 

"That is unlikely" he said with a stern gaze, but offered no explanation as to why. "Now, what happened when you got there?" 

"He... Well I think he wanted to apologise, but he wasn't very clear" 

She remembered him standing behind the Ray shield, with messy bed-hair and bags under his eyes. He looked at her, but the loathing expression he wore was directed at himself. Her only reply was to cross her arms and give him the most disaprooving glare she could muster, though the way he sagged in despair at her stance almost made her feel guilty, almost.

".... And why are you telling me this?" Vader asked, bringing her back to the present.

"I don't know, Vader. Because your the only trained force-sensitive on the planet that doesn't want to murder me and I keep hearing other people's thoughts and don't know what I'm doing?!" She spat rather aggressively, and regretted it immidatly. Even if she didn't like him, she did need his help. 

Between constantly feeling Kylos over-emotional, self-induced depression and having the random feelings of others pop into her head as she walked by them in the corridor, it was high time she had someone who actually knew what they were doing fix whatever happened to her during the fight with Kylo.

Vader, to his credit, didn't explode in anger and strangle her like she half expected him to do. Instead, he stood in front of her, raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest

"You are force-sensitive Rey, I'm surprised your are only encounters these problems now"

Rey sighed and rubbed her hand across her face as she silently wished away the past week. Vader sighed.

"Look, given that you have no training, I would presume that this sudden 'activation' of your powers is as a result of a strong emotional responce to the situation we all found ourselves in a few days ago" 

"How do I stop it?"

"You can't just stop the force, Rey" 

"Well I'm sick of listening to your grandson babble on about how bad his life is from halfway across the base when I'm trying to sleep" she pouted, crossing her arms like Vader in defiance.

"He is broadcasting his emotions very clearly because he has stopped shielding himself" Vader said, looking away from her to ponder once more.

"Shielding himself?" 

"Yes, force-sensitivis can shield their thoughts to stop others from reading what they are thinking. I don't understand why Ben has let all of his barriers drop like this" 

"Y-you can hear my thoughts?!" She cried, suddenly realisation dawning on her that if she was now suddenly reading people's feelings then of course Vader and Kylo could too! And she wasn't even trained, how much could they read?

"Not your thoughts, but I can sense what you are feeling"

Rey scrunched her face at him.

"Well stop!"

"I can't just stop! The same way you can't either" he said, a hint of frustration betraying itself in his voice.

"I don't want you listening to what I'm thinking" she hissed.

Vader sighed again, then waded through the mess on his floor towards her. He sat down beside her, his expression grim at best.

"Then you have to learn to shield your thoughts" he said as crossed his legs.

"You will teach me?" She asked, suddenly feeling excited and scared at the same time.

"I will, but only if you will sneak me into the brig to Kylos cell"

Rey considered the deal. It was one thing for her to slip down there when nobody was looking, it was an entirely different one to bring a Lord who would probably kill everyone if they were caught. Then again, if he could talk some sense into Kylo and have him stop broadcasting his feelings to her the she might actually be able to get a good nights sleep. 

In the end it was a no brainier, she was pretty damn good at sneaking around the place, so it was highly unlikely that they would get caught, and she really needed someone trained to teach her how to manage all of her new powers.

She gave Vader a determined nod, which he promptly returned, and the training began.


	14. Bad ideas

This was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.   
“Which way?” Vader quietly demanded opposite her.  
“I don’t know!” She screeched in a high –pitched whisper.   
His gloved hand snapped over her mouth as a pair of guards marched by underneath them. Yes, that’s right, underneath them. She slapped his hand away and spat a beyond angry expression towards his annoyingly passive one. They had been wandering around in these vents for hours trying to figure out which way they should go. Hours.  
“This has to be the worst idea in the entire galaxy” She hissed.   
He shrugged, or at least tried too in cramped vent he had made her climb into. They were lying at a cross-section in the expansive system that ran through the base, looking through one of the occasional grated ‘windows’ that gave light to the otherwise pitch-black space. This was a crazy plan, asking him for help should have been the first sign of her ensuing insanity.  
“We will go left,” Vader announced suddenly.  
In what had to be the most undignified thing she had ever seen a ruler of the galaxy do, he awkwardly (but with great determination) began to shuffle away down the left vent.  
“Why left? Are you guessing?!” She demanded frantically.   
“It’s the will of the force,” He replied, his voice echoing slightly as the distance between them increased.  
She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. She sighed and shook her head, but followed him anyway. If the resistance caught him of all people sneaking around in their ventilation shafts there would be uproar. At least with her there too she could try to cover for him.  
The cold vent banged and groaned as she started to pull herself along on her elbows. Kylo better be worth all of this. She could still hear his depressed inner-monologue chattering away at the back of her brain despite Vader teaching her some force-blocking techniques. Apparently the only way to stop it completely was to get Kylo to stop broadcasting his emotions like he was on galaxy FM.   
Vader stopped abruptly ahead. It seemed as though they were at another cross-section. Not that one in her position could tell; she couldn’t see anything other than his massive boots ahead.  
A few seconds ticked by and then he began to shuffle forward, choosing (what she hoped wasn’t randomly) to turn into neither of the other ventilation shafts.  
“Why couldn’t we just sneak through the corridors?” She asked.  
“I already told you,” Vader stated, “this way is quicker.”  
Yes because crawling through a tiny vent that may or may not even be leading you to where you want to go was so much quicker than just running through the back corridors of the base that had clear directions at every turn. Maybe the Gods of reincarnation had a habit of forgetting to recreate the mind along with the body?  
“Have you done this before?” She asked curiously, wondering where in hell he got the idea that this would be quicker.  
“You would be surprised,” He grunted somewhat ominously.  
Then he stopped again, though this time they weren’t at any crossroad. She tried to look around his bulking form to see what was ahead, to no avail. Did he just realize that they were going the wrong way?  
“Are we nearly there?” She probed.  
“Are we?” He mirrored.  
“You have no idea what you’re doing do you?” Rey barked back.   
“If you have no faith in me, then figure it out yourself,” he said with an odd calm most uncommon of him.   
“I can’t. Its pitch black,” she replied slightly sardonically.  
“Use Kylo’s thoughts to your advantage.” He stated as he began to fumble with something in front of him.  
“What are you doing?” She questioned.  
“You’ll see. Now, concentrate on Kylos’ thoughts.”   
She begrudgingly obeyed, if only to see where he was going with this. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on clearing her mind. Vader told her earlier that the force is easiest to manipulate when your either incredibly angry or incredibly serene, and given that she would rather not turn into a sith on her first day of training she decided that the latter would be the best course of action.  
The force was slow to respond; it felt like she was reaching her hands into black, murky waters in the hopes of finding something solid to grab unto.   
“Don’t think, just embrace it,” Vader encouraged somewhat distantly.  
She reached her minds hands in further, but all she could feel was sludge and the distant yammering of Kylo. Further, further… suddenly the force pulled at her, and she fell through the sludge. An explosion of thoughts and sensations hit her full blast. The whole base was suddenly alive with feelings. Through the force she could see everything. It was amazing.  
Until she saw who was underneath them; Kylo Ren. His dark presence stood out against everything else. It was alive like a blazing fire ready to burn her alive. She snapped her eyes open. Her breaths came quickly. That was not what she had anticipated.   
Then an awful groaning sound emanated from the vent. Followed by a shrill ‘clink’ and before she knew what was happening she was falling. The air rushed around her along with a brief spiral of vertigo before all was silenced by the hard slam of her side bashing against the ground.  
Vader landed on his feet beside her, the orange glow of a ray shield lit up his intimidating form above.   
“Are you crazy?” She tried to yell, but a staggered cough hitched her attempt at scolding.   
“Grandfather?” Kylo’s startled voice asked.  
She struggled to her feet, and looked up to see that Vader had unscrewed the bottom plate of the vent leading to the two of them to fall into the corridor below.  
“Ben” Vader said with a clipped voice.   
She looked towards the ray shield to see Kylo standing right at the other side, looking both shocked and amazed at the same time. He hadn’t improved from how she had last seen him. Dark circles hung from his eyes, which were filed with turmoil.  
His brown eyes broke from his grandfathers to glance over Rey, but they didn’t stray focused on her for very long.  
“What are you doing here?” He asked with such innocence that she almost forgot he murdered every single one of Luke’s apprentices.   
“Pull yourself together” Vader barked, exerting all of his anger in a single, very violent thrust of his finger towards his grandson.  
Now Kylo just looked confused. Rey decided she needed to explain, Vader probably wouldn’t.   
“I can hear everything you say, Kylo. You have to shield yourself”  
His eyes darted back towards hers, and his face twisted into an unsympathetic frown, but he didn’t say anything in return. Was he giving her the silent treatment? After she had gotten Vader here for him? Seriously?  
“Your actions are unbecoming of a Skywalker, or even a Solo for that matter. Do not think you will gain any sympathy like this,” Vader ranted. “I will not have my apprentice behaving like a petulant child. Shield your thoughts Ben, the entire base is being affected by your carelessness.”  
Kylo looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t. Instead he choose to drop his head to the floor and remain silent. Vader crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Kylo. She suddenly began to feel a tickle to sympathy nagging at her mind, which she wouldn’t listen to. Force knows Kylo doesn’t deserve it after what he tried to do.   
He looked so defeated in that cell, and it’s not like he would find any understanding from Vader. Rey sighed and relaxed herself. She stepped up towards the ray shield, placing a hand on its frame.   
“We’re only trying to help you,” She said softly. Which wasn’t exactly true; maybe Vader wanted to help him but she certainly didn’t, not after he nearly killed her and Leia. But she did want him to stop be so unstable, if only to help those who would be forced to be in close correlation with him.  
Kylo raised his head, those dark eyes came searching, flickering between hers as he tested her sincerity.   
“Am I annoying you?” he suddenly asked in a stony voice.  
Rey raised her eyebrows as his face suddenly hardened over, that wasn’t what she expected.  
“It doesn’t exactly help me sleep” She tried diplomatically.  
“You’re annoying me” Vader grunted under his breath, though she was pretty sure Kylo (thankfully) didn’t hear him.  
A very small, very faint smile danced across Ben’s lips for a split second before disappearing behind the glacier that was his facial expression.  
“Get me out, and I’ll stop” He announced before turning away from her and walking over to the slab that served as a bed in the corner.  
“We can’t just let you out Kylo!” she vented, getting rather frustrated that Kylo had completely blanked any attempt she had made at being nice to him. Force knows why she even tries.  
“I agree with Rey. Kylo, we must await the official judgement of the Resistance before any action is to be considered,” Vader stated. His eyes were suddenly as hard and calculating as Kylos, and it suddenly dawned on Rey that she was surrounded by Sith.   
She darted around to face Vader with an incriminating glare.   
“What do you mean before any action is to be considered?!” She hissed as she began to fear what exactly Vader might do if the resistance didn’t come to the same conclusions as he had.  
Vaders’ head lazily found hers, he looked distant. Great, he’s planning something.  
“I mean, we will await the official judgement of the resistance before any action is to be considered,” he replied coyly with an infuriatingly blank expression on his face.  
“I know what they’re going to consider,” Kylo suddenly spat from inside his cell, instantly drawing Vader’s attention from her.  
“And you will sit and wait until they’ve considered it, Ben. You have foolishly incited your own self-detriment for too long, it ends now,” Vader snapped at Kylo, causing him to sink to his bead with a slightly wide-eyed look on his face.  
Rey grinded her teeth; these two would be the death of her. Part of her wanted to just go and try to find Luke on her own.   
“Stop broadcasting your thoughts, and maybe we’ll actually be able to concentrate and free you,” Vader continued, after a short pause, his tone help significantly less bite than the last.  
“We are not freeing him,” Rey exclaimed frantically. She came here to get him to stop sending her all of his feelings, now she was suddenly part of a break-out team planning to free the resistances most high-profile prisoner!  
“Why not?” Vader queried.  
“Have you forgotten everything he has done in the past week alone?!” Rey screamed.  
“I have not”  
“Then- then what are you doing?!”  
“You said you wanted my training,” He replied dryly “I’m training you”  
That was probably the most insane thing she had heard in her entire life.  
“This is not training”   
“You’re training her too? I thought I was your apprentice!” Kylo exclaimed loudly, waving his hands behind the ray shield in a weak attempt at getting their attention.  
“I am not his apprentice!” Rey barked back.  
Vader may now be a ‘nice’ sith, but as far as she was concerned, he was still a sith. And ‘Rey’, ‘apprentice’ and ‘sith’ all being used in the same sentence sent a shattering chill down her spin and caused big red ‘NO’ signs to pop up in her brain.  
“Well then he isn’t training you, he’s training me” Kylo insisted.  
“I think this conversation has been exhausted” Vader stated over their bickering. Suddenly, he was beside her and wrapping his arms around her waist.   
“What are you doing?!” She exclaimed as he hoisted her over his shoulder.  
“Kylo, if you want our help raise your mental shields. If I weren’t here to block your rambling from the galaxy, Darth Sidious would have found us by now. Think about that” He said calmly as Rey kicked and screamed on his shoulder.  
Then she was flung into the vents, screaming all the way. It was suddenly dark and cramped again, seconds later Vader had joined her. He got busy fixing the panel he had taken down into place. At this point she couldn’t even be angry.  
“You could have just told me that we’re leaving” she said sourly.  
She heard him chuckle softly as he screwed the bolts into place, something she never thought she would hear him do.  
“Now where’s the fun in that?” he said with such dry humor she couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not. Also she wasn’t quite sure if Darth Vader was even capable of telling jokes.  
Rey couldn’t hold back the inevitable eye-roll at his comment. She had had enough of Siths for today.


	15. Shopping for answers

Far away, in the distant reaches of the outer rim...

The dark thunderous clouds above brewed a vicious storm, gathering together to form an endless, suffocating sheet. Their low rumblings murmured threats of the torrential assault that was sure to come. Even the ocean below quaked its wild threats, donning a heavy navy so dark it was almost black, similar to the color of the sky. A cold wind howled through the island, threatening to uproot even the most stubborn of plants from their homes. Mother nature herself was out for a vengeance today, if there was any certainty in the galaxy, that would be it.

Yet undisturbed by the madness outside he was. He sat upon one of the many large rocks in a large cavernous cave that was his home, meditating. If it weren't for the billowing wind echoing along the caves walls, he probably wouldn't have even noticed anything to be amiss. For a much larger, more dangerous storm was brewing. One he could not physically see or touch, but one that wailed against his consciousness with more intensity than nature herself could muster. 

Something was very wrong in the force.

The more he meditated, the more fearful he became. Because this point, he had meditated for so long, he was almost in some sort of translucent sleep that allowed him to see through the force in a way he had never been able to before. And the images he saw scared him to no end. 

Again and again, the twin suns of Tatooine burned his retinas, scorched his skin, left his mouth so dry any cry for help came out as a weak whisper. Then he would watch in horror as the sand gathered around him, pulling him farther and farther down into its depths until he was suffocating in it and all he could see was darkness. As the last of the light faded, so did his whispers for help, which were quickly replaced by the ominous cackling of some disturbed creature. Its chuckling seemed to become a creature in itself, as it wrapped around his soul and made every attempt to squeeze any bit of sanity he had out. 

But that wasn't the worst part, no, it was the helpless pleas of innocents begging for his help that disturbed him the most.

"Luke! Luke!" They pleaded as hidden hands grabbed unto his tunic, "Luke!" 

They tried with all their might to pull him towards them, and only when their weeping became so loud that even the monsters cackling was drowned, did he manage to awaken. 

Luke's eyes snapped open, all the rocks levitating around him suddenly fell to the floor. His thumping heart desperately tried to supply blood to his freezing body. His clothes were soaked through with sweat, and as his dazed head slowly looked down to his lap, he realized that his hands were shaking. 

Something was very, very wrong in the force, and even though every instinct he had screamed at him to remain in hiding, he couldn't. He had to get to Tatooine; something very dark and dangerous was there. It needed to be destroyed before it could threaten the galaxy any further. Slowly, he arose on shivering legs, and made his way outside.

***

D'Qar,

Rey watched as Finn's pilot friend, Poe, cocked back his head and swallowed the last of his soup in one huge gollop. The troopers quarters was relatively quiet at this time of the day ( because all of the troopers actually had jobs to do, contrary to the three of them ), so they had no trouble finding an empty bench to sit at in the common room. Not only was the common room empty, but so was the force. Kylo's had finally gotten the common sense to start shielding his mind again, and thus, there would (hopefully) be soundless sleeps from here on out. Her head was now perfectly clear, and capable of pondering the many, many questions she had yet to find answers too. 

"I thought you said Poe was dead," She asked Finn, who was lounging on the opposite side of the bench.

"I thought he was," Finn said with eyes that told her Poe already told him how he survived, but he empathized deeply with her confusion. She frowned at him in return. 

"Come on guys, you think they could wipe me out that easy?" Poe joked.

He finished off the last of his soup and dropped the empty bowl to the table. Despite knowing the man for a single, ration-packed meal and no more, she had gained a certain level of respect for him. He was a quietly proud character who seemed uncommonly brave, perhaps bordering on reckless. But he more than made up for it with his seemingly endless enthusiasm. 

"Yeah" Finn scoffed, taking a defiant sip of his drink.

Rey watched with bemused interest as Poe suddenly turned to face his new comrade. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded in a slightly hurt tone.

"The order does have the best military in the entire galaxy" Finn shrugged.

Poe narrowed his eyes.

"You're just saying that because they trained you" 

Finn straightened up at the accusation.

"No! I'm saying it because its the truth. Right Rey?" Finn argued, motioning at Rey with his eyes to agree with him.

She smiled and took a drink from her own cup as both men looked at her expectantly. Finn continued to motion with his eyes for several seconds as she pretended to ignore him.

"...Right?" Finn said again, with an almost pleading tone.

Her only response was a small shrug. Poe clapped his hands together and victorious smile busted across his face.

"Ah, I knew I was right" he laughed. 

Finn muttered something under his breath, then got up to refill his drink. Rey watched with mild amusement as he sulkily went over to the refill machine. He begrudgingly poured himself a new drink. Finn may not be the best trooper in the world, or the smartest, but he sure was the funniest. Even if he didn't mean to be.

"Is it true what everyone's saying?" Poe asked with a curious smile, causing Rey's attention to be brought back to the table. 

"What are they saying?" She asked with a mild frown. Honestly, Rey really had no idea what anyone other than the kriffing Skywalker's were saying; she had spent nearly all of her time with them, and everything they said or did almost never had anything to do with 'normal' people. 

Poe raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know, that Kylo Ren's dead granddad isn't so dead anymore and that both of them are here on the base," he said in a slightly less playful tone.

Instantly, Rey heaved a heavy sigh. Force, she had come here to get away from those two crazy power junkies. Not to have to talk about them more.

"Yes" she admitted numbly.

Poe seemed unaware of her plight.

"Wow" he said, pushing back against the bench as he took her reply in. "So, why don't we just kill the sleemos and win the war?"

Rey shook her head.

"Its not that easy" she uttered dejectedly.

Poe gave her a questioning glare, motioning for her to continue.She sighed and raised her hand to her head, she really shouldn't tell him this. But if she didn't, Poe might actually try to take action into his own hands and do something crazy. Maybe if he knew the truth the chances of him going on some sort of suicide mission would slim, solely because he may -just may- decide to let the Skywalkers handle their own problems. She took a deep breath, 

"Because General Organa is related to both of them,"

Just then Finn plopped back down beside Poe, a new steaming cup in his hands. 

"Hey, whats going on?" he cheerfully asked as he noticed Poe's speechless face.

"Yeah" Rey agreed as Poe's eyes bugled out of his head.

"..How... close?" he murmured. 

"You'd be surprised," she uttered, moving in to lay her hands on the table.

"Try me," Poe challenged.

"Hello?" Finn desperately urged beside them.

"I don't know if I can tell you," She said quietly, avoiding the question.

Poe thoughtfully drummed his fingers on the table.

"Cousin?" he guessed.

Rey raised an eyebrow at him, he raised one back.

"closer" she eventually hinted. 

"nephew?" 

"closer"

"uhh..." he mumbled as he tapped his chin. Suddenly, his eyes glued themselves to hers a thought hit him.

"...no" he said disbelievingly.

Rey smiled at him expectantly, waiting for him to voice the question.

Poe leaned in closer, so close that the two of them were nearly touching.

"...son?" he whispered.

Rey nodded silently, and watched as Poe's eyebrows exploded past his forehead.

"On opposite sides of the war?" he gushed.

Rey hummed in agreement.

"No way," He said with an astounded smile.

"Guys?!" Finn exploded "Fill me in here!

"And Vader?" Poe questioned, "Is.. is he her.."

Rey nodded again.

Poe shook his head, and leaned back into the bench. An astounded look in his face. 

"Woah," he exclaimed.

"I hate you guys," Finn grumbled.

Poe darted close to Rey again.

"Father.. really?" he asked.

"Father" she affirmed.

Finn shook his head in obvious annoyance and took a sip from his cup. Poe blew out an overwhelmed breath as he took in the full scale of the situation. Rey, was very nearly doing the same thing herself, despite having known of the information for some time. At times, she didn't even really believe it herself, it sounded like something straight out of a bad soap opera. 

"General Organa is going to have more than a headache when she wakes up then," Poe joked in an attempt at lightening the mood.

"You can say that again," Ray affirmed just as her comm started to buzz. 

She excused herself to her new friends, and walked out into the abandoned corridor to take the call. To her surprise, the ever-stern visage of Darth Vader materialized in front of her. Though on seconds thoughts, after everything that's happened, she really shouldn't be surprised at this point.

"Rey, come to my quarters immediately," Vader barked, then curtly disconnected the call without another word.

She put her hand to her head and restrained herself from giving voice to the numerous choice words that man always seemed to bring to the forefront of her mind. Then she started to make her way (spitefully slowly) towards Vader's quarters. She swore to any divine Gods in existence, if either he or Kylo had somehow managed to dig themselves into an even deeper grave than they already inhabited she would... well, she wouldn't be happy.

The auto-doors to his quarters snapped open, revealing a room very much in the same state as she had seen it before, bar the appearance of a few empty bottles of Correlian ale. Vader, who was standing as nonchalantly as a homicidal Sith Lord could, turned to face her. A slight scruff of a beard had grown across his jawline since she had seen him last.

"What took you so long?" he hissed unhappily. 

"Nice to see you too," she said pleasantly, walking into his room and making it very clear by her roving eyes that she didn't agree with his poor cleanliness habits.

"I need you to go to the local store in the main hall and buy me these items," Vader ordered as he shoved a flimsy at her.

Rey scowled as she read the list (that was so long one would swear he was shopping for a family of four), and then glared back at him. He expected her to get his shopping? The nerve!

"Do I look like your' personal assistant? Get it yourself," She growled, waggling the flimsy in his direction.

Vader sighed, adamantly refusing to retake his flimsy. "I would, if I weren't in danger of getting shot for leaving my quarters," he barked back angrily.

"You don't seem to have any trouble leaving your quarters to go to the canteen," Rey scowled, then pointed at the closest bottle of ale.

Vader's face hardened in frustration. Which only made Rey even more annoyed by his ridiculous request because if anyone was to be frustrated, it was her.

"The situation has changed," Vader grunted, picking up a whole stack of tattered pieces of paper and unceremoniously shoving them in her general direction.

Rey looked down to see that the stack consisted of a variety of posters advertising his demise, death threats, wanted notices and, funnily enough, a few jokes at his expense. She looked up at him again, about to snarkily remind him that he was Darth kriffing Vader and she would be a fool to think that a few death threats could ever scare him when she saw him holding up one of his cloaks, the side of which had been thoroughly singed by a blaster bolt. The sight, however unfortunate, still didn't convince her.

"I heard stories of you single-handedly killing entire armies by yourself in your day, I find it hard to believe a few angry rebels could keep you hidden in your quarters for long," she said with an exasperated eye-roll..

Vader rumbled out some sort of incomprehensible beast growl.

"If it were within my power to dispatch with these mewling cowards I certainly would, however such actions would undoubtedly be taken wrongly by the resistances leaders, who need I remind you, are already negatively inclined to me as is," Vader slowly ground out as if having to explain the fact to her caused some sort of physical pain to him. It probably hurt his pride, Rey presumed with growing amusement. 

With a deviously diminutive smile, she snarly said "So, you don't want to make the big bad-"

"I don't want to further endanger my already severely threatened grandson!" Vader roared, finally releasing his pent up fury. His chest sharply rose and feel between his stiff shoulders as he raged in front of her.

Looking at the sight of his hulking form, his tosseled hair, and his crazy, blood shot eyes, sure, you could be afraid of Vader. There were plenty of good reasons to be; he was loud, overly sensitive, quick to threaten, always angry at something, and could at times (such as this) would have a look about him that made it appear as if he would definitely murder you. But on the other hand, once one got past the initial shock of his deathly glare, one would realize that (at least if your were in some way his friend) in the end, he probably wouldn't choke the life force out of you as long as he needed something from you. 

That thought in mind, Rey could only smile in amusement at his seething form, and took a last look at his shopping list.

"Alright, I'll get your razor for you." 

***

Leia's bleary eyes slowly opened to the clouded world around her. She blinked the white fogginess away, and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. She was in a hospital bed, in a closed off section of medical ward on D'Qar For some reason, this scenario felt oddly familiar.

"You have received a concussion. Please remain in a sleeping position," a nearby medical droid droned. 

Why, she asked herself, was she in the medical ward on D'Qar? briefly, she considered the possibility that she had been commanding out in the field and had received a concussion during battle, very briefly. 

"Ma'am, please return to a sleeping position," the droid continued as it hovered over to her.

Leia's eyes suddenly flashed back to the days prior. Shouting, lightsabers, tears, Vader, anger, guilt, love, hate, Ben, Ben, Ben...   
Without warning, Leia jumped out of the bed and swiftly out of the medical droids reach. She stomped across the cold floor towards the exit. 

"Ma'am, please return to a sleeping concussion," the droid repeated rather quickly as it whizzed after her.

Leia stopped suddenly, and with a force-enhanced push, shoved the droid. It careened away from her and splattered against the far wall with the robotic equivalent of a surprised cry. The action was uncomfortably similar to something Vader would do, but she tried not to think about that. She would deal with that particular indentured zombie-brain (literally) later. 

Cursing out a string of very unladylike words, she marched out of her room, thoroughly annoyed. She had to find her force forgotten son before he blew up their entire base, or worse. And by the nine Corellian hells, she would die a slow death before a concussion stopped her from keeping this blasted family from falling apart again!


	16. spring cleaning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm finally on my holidays and I have some time to write!!!! I have been so excited to get this chapter finished, and I guess it took me a while, but there's nothing I can do about it unfortunately. Anyway, time isn't the be all and end all of things. Nonetheless I hope to improve my upload speeds a little bit for a short while now that I have some free time on my hands. 
> 
> Things are starting to ramp up again in this chapter, as Leia's awakening will kick some of the characters into action. 
> 
> Also HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

For Han, it had been a day like any other, since 'the incident' involving Ben; he'd get up, eat some canteen slop and then lounge around on the Falcon for the day trying to work up the courage to head down to the brig and speak to Ben. Suffice to say he never actually managed to do it, but hey, if he wasn't around to fix those power converters, then who would? 

Over the past few weeks, he started to wish that the first order would find their base and invade them purely to beak up the monitory his day-to-day life had become. Not to mention it would take his mind of Ben; who had started occupying his thoughts even more than the Mellineum Falcon, which was saying something. Part of him wished he could just travel back in time to when Ben was a little kid. Back then, everyone was happy; the Empire was gone, the Jedi were back and the New Republic was flourishing. Damn that Snooke sleemo for taking it all away. 

He took a slug of ale and sunk deeper into his seat. Ben's right here, he could go and talk to him at any moment, he didn't need any fancy time-travelling mumbo jumbo to help him see his kid, he's right here! But will he ever find it within himself to face his long lost son? Probably not. why? Because he's weak! Han grimaced as the image of a ten year old Ben morphed into the black-clad monster he had become. If only it had never happened. If only.

The door to his quarters beeped, and he heard footsteps entering. He groaned loudly and flopped his head back against his seat; if Chewie re-wired the propulsion panel wrong one more time! 

"Glad to see your making good use of yourself" A distinctly not-Wookie voice scolded. 

Han's eyes ripped open to see the gleaming visage of Leia herself in front of him. 

"Princess?" He muttered numbly as she crossed her arms over her chest impatiently. That particular stance was never good, Han braced himself for the worst. 

"Where is Ben? How long have I been asleep? What happened while I was out? I swear to the divine Han if Ben managed-" 

"Woah woah woah, don't get ahead of yourself there princess," Han grumbled as he slowly rose from his seat, shaking a -what he hoped was- calming hand in Leia's general direction. 

"You're drunk, aren't you?" She sapped angrily at him. 

"No, I'm not drunk!" He quickly defended. Leia gestured to the bottle of ale, which he was gripping like a vice. "I'm just drinking!" he continued, waving his arms around as if the fact were obvious. 

Leia hissed out a curt grunt, which sounded to him like a desperate attempt not to yell out a senate-session long rant about his 'bad habits'

"Where is Ben?" She asked again with a little more composure. 

Now, it was his turn to sigh. He gently placed his ale down on the coffee table and looked solemnly back at his wife. Force, why did they always have to argue about every little thing? And why did things always have to come down to Ben? If he was honest with himself, she was probably just as scared for their son as he was, she just dealt with it differently.

"He's ah, in the brig. The rest of the leaders were waitin' 'till you woke up to pass any verdict," He replied as he scratched the back of his head.

Leia's expression changed. A worrying expression of finality crossed over her face, that was an expression he had rarely seen Leia wear before. The stood in awkward silence for a long time, so long that Han was afraid Leia would suddenly come to some sort of plan and march off to complete it leaving him none the wiser. 

But what actually happened was far worse. So much so in fact that Han wished Leia had done just that, because he couldn't bare to look at the reigned expression on his wife's features.

"They're going to kill him, aren't they?" She said quietly.

Han's heart dropped at her words, at her teary eyes, at her sudden loss of vigor. 

"No, Leia, no. They can't do that, you wont let them" he consoled as he rushed over to embrace her. Though if he were honest with himself, he was trying to console himself more than her.

"Han. Don't," She barked, pulling away from him. "He just murdered force knows how many people while I was out. I had spent hours trying to convince the resistance that there was some good in left in him! Hours! And look at what he did to earn their trust! He murdered resistance men in their own base after they had allowed him to stay. And now he's... he's..." She trailed off quietly at the end, not wanting to finish her bleak sentence. Han frowned, determined that at least one of them wouldn't only see the worst of this situation.

"And now he's goin' to be fine. The resistance hasn't sentenced him yet, why don't you talk to them? You know, explain everything?"

"It's no use; this is a democracy and I know very well that I will be the only one to vote in his favor," 

She sat down in the chair and rubbed her forehead sullenly. "He will be sentenced to death, there's nothing we can do,"

He had hoped that Leia would awaken with some answers, that maybe she could solve the horrible situation they were in. Force he should have known better! Maybe if he had done something instead of avoiding his problems he could have actually helped the situation! Damn, he's such an idiot! Han sat on the coffee table and drunk in the image of his wife. She was rarely this desolate, she must have just realized that he could die for his crimes a few moments ago. It was true, the Resistance couldn't even consider taking him in, not after he killed several rebels and tried to escape with Vader. He had alienated any thought of redemption anyone may have harbored. The thought sickened Han, because he knew his son wasn't lost. He knew there was still good in him. 

"Look, we cant give up, Ben's countin' on us, right?" 

Leia didn't immediately respond, he didn't know whether that was a good sign or not. 

"Why don't you just talk to 'em? Hell, maybe even get Vader to explain how the dark side changes people," He continued forcefully.

"They wont want to listen to Vader," Leia muttered.

The air around her was heavy with defeat, it was as if she had completely given up! Han frowned with determination. Where had his feisty love disappeared too? He certainly wouldn't give up on Ben that easy! He wouldn't throw him to the nexus just because the odds were staked against them!

"Well we gotta do something!" Han exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Come on, it's like you've given' up or something!"

Leia's eyes darted towards his, an expression of pure rage filling them.

"I have not given up on our son!" she barked.

"Then let's do something!" he exclaimed again, this time moving closer to his wife. He kneeled down beside her and cupped her hands in his. A risky move considering their tense relationship, but one he felt compelled to do nonetheless. Leia's eyes roved between his as she tried desperately to come up with some sort of plan to help Ben.

"I don't know what to do," she finally whispered.

"We'll just tell 'em the truth," he insisted.

"The truth? The truth?! He tried to kill me, his own mother!" Leia suddenly cried, ripping her hands from his and bursting from the chair. He watched desperately as she marched towards the exit.

"Leia wait! Where are you goin'!?" He shouted as he got up after her.

He ran towards her, but just as he reached her she slammed the auto doors shut with the force. Leia never used the force, it troubled him to think what she might do in this state of mind. Part of him wanted to go after her, but he knew it wouldn't help; She'd only get angrier. He rested his hands against the door, and tried to think of a solution to their problems.

***

The endless buzzing of a T-58 compact cleaning droid, model 2, special service unit, hummed through the open bathroom door. It seemed that Rey had decided that his room needed a new makeover just as much as he did, and bought him the droid as an early birthday present. 

Anakin snorted a sickened chuckle, imagine if the Emperor caught him living in this pig sty of a quarters. He would have been hung out to dry quicker than a rebel operative. The Emperor always held him to unreasonably high standards, he thought grimly as he rubbed a handful of shaving cream along his jawline. In reflection, it was probably some sick form of psychological torture.

"Glad to see you finally coming to your' senses," the annoyingly proper voice of obi-wan sung in his ear.

He tried to ignore him as he picked up is razor and cut a long clean strip out of his beard in one careful downward motion. He was not in the mood to talk to that particular closet of skeletons today. 

"Though I must admit, the beard does suit you," kenobi continued lightly. 

"Go away," he growled though gritted teeth, refusing to turn from the mirror and face his former master.

After a few moments he heard what must have been the most overly dramatic, world-weary sigh of the year. Whatever, kenobi could sigh all he liked, Anakin wouldn't listen to anything he had to say.

"Anakin, look at me," kenobi continued, all of the fun gone from is voice.

At this point, he was one wrong word from turning around and flinging his razor at Kenobi's stupid, transparent head. Why did his master insist on making it his sworn duty to haunt him?! He let out a long sigh to match his masters, then went back shaving his neck.

"Say what you must old man, then leave," 

After a short silence, in which Anakin had been foolish enough to actually believe that maybe his former master had grown some brain cells and done what he was told, kenobi, unfortunately, started talking again.

"Luke is in danger," he said solemnly, now if that didn't get a reaction out of Anakin, Obi-wan didn't know what would.

Anakin whipped around to look at his masters ghostly blue eyes.

"What did you say?!"

"Judging by your reaction, I'm sure you heard me quite clearly," Obi replied dryly. 

"Who is endangering my son?!" Vader barked.

"A rather long list of people, actually," 

"I swear on my dear mother Kenobi, if you keep this up I will find that artifact and bring you back to life just so I may have the pleasure of killing you again!" Anakin shouted as he pointed the sharp end of the razor at his former master, who stared back at him, unfazed.

"I don't know whom on the list is the prime aggressor this time, I'm afraid. I only know that the force has sent me a rather urgent warning message," 

"An enormous amount of help, as usual," Anakin grumbled as he grabbed a towel to wipe his face. 

"I'm not omnipotent, you know" Obi countered. 

Anakin shook his head, maybe if his former master should visit Luke and tell him about the danger he's in. Guess that's too much to ask of the old man.

"Then you are of no use to me," Anakin spat, marching out of the bathroom. He went over to the pile of clothes (under which he presumed was his dresser) in the corner of the room and rooted around for something clean. The disc-shaped cleaning droid hoovered loudly around his ankles. Anakin hoped the noise would keep away pesky force ghosts. 

"Well, if I truley am no use to you, then my knowledge of Luke's whereabouts must be useless too," kenobi chimed from the bathroom.

That two faced, beard-trimming, bantha-herding, mushy-pushy-light-side SLEEMO. His eyes hovered at the entrance to the bathroom. He didn't, really REALLY, didn't want to give in and let Kenobi help him. The sheer degradation of it all sickened him, but if he was going to be of any help to his son, he would need to know where he was.

Kenobi appeared in the doorway, and Anakin snarled at him. Obi-Wan didn't seem to mind, it only served to soften his features, not harden them as Anakin had hoped. He would't give in, he wouldn't ask the man who had hidden his children from him for help. He wouldn't submit the coward who left him to burn on Mustafar.

" Ahch-To, he's on Ahch-To," Obi said quietly. 

Anakin's eyes hardened as he scrutinized the Jedi, but before he could say anything, the ghost of kenobi faded. the last expression on his face a weary smile.

Confused, Vader stared at the spot the ghost had inhabited for several moments. Ahch-To was a planet he hadn't heard of since the Jedi history classes he was forced to take as a padawan. From what he remembered, it was thought to be the site of the first Jedi temple in recorded history. When he thought about it, if Luke felt threatened, it would make sense for him to seek refuge in a place like that. Yet is it all true, could he trust Kenobi? 

He looked down at his pile of shirts and picked one up at random, then threw it on. Well, he had no other leads to go on, and if he stayed in the resistance base for much longer he would either be killed or go stir crazy. He stepped over the humming cleaning droid and made for the door. Even if a blind, deaf fool whispered of threats to his son, he would be obliged to take it seriously. And even if he considered a blind, deaf, fool more reliable that Obi-Wan Kenobi, he would still investigate. He had failed too many people to take such a risk as to ignore it.

The door slid open and Anakin stepped out into the hallway, ruminating on what he had been told. The force had sent no warning message to him, why did his old master receive one? Trusting the credibility of Kenobi's statements aside, was his lack of awareness his own fault? Was his connection with the force frayed? Somewhat unnerved by the thought, Anakin reached out to the light side as he walked, and too his relief it quickly responded. Its power flowed through his so easily that he found himself basking in it. The light side was gentle and warm, and felt to him like a hug from a loved one, which washed away his fears for Luke's safety and instilled within him a feeling of calm focus. What was he ever thinking when he abandoned this for the dark side?

"WOA!" Someone screamed. Every muscle tensed. reality crashed through his calm daze like an anvil. His eyes focused on a small lady in front of him, Leia, who was brushing herself down as if she had run into a wall.

"I didn't realize you liked to sleepwalk through these corridors!" She gasped.

heat rushed to his cheeks. He had never found himself in this particular situation before, was that what the Emperor was talking about when he called the Jedi mindless fools? 

"My apologies, Leia. I'm not quite sure what happened," 

"Don't let it happen again," She scolded harshly. Leia hastily raised a white silken hood over her face, and looked away as she inched around him. 

His embarrassment quickly drained away from him, and he raised an eyebrow at her peculiar behavior. yes, he would understand if she didn't want to speak with him, force knows he deserves it, but not letting him look at her? Is he really that repulsive, or is there another motive at work? Leia tried to break past him, but he moved in front of her. She quickly looked down at the ground.

"What are you doing?" he asked quizzically.

"It doesn't concern you," 

Sensations of fear and denial rippled around Leia, was she afraid of him? Had he done something wrong? Anakin reached out and pressed his fingers upon her chin, then gently lifted her face until the hood hid it no longer. Her eyes were red, tears streaked her face.

"Whats wrong?" he gasped.

Leia brushed him away, and looked down at the floor once more. Her eyebrows knotted together in a frown.

"I'm going to meet with the resistance council immediately. We will be deciding Ben's fate," She said, finally looking up and into his eyes. Her expression had turned hard, like the one Padme used to wear during senate sessions. The only clue to her upheaval were her puffy, red eyes.

Understanding came to him quickly; the resistance would in all likelihood want Kylo to be killed for his crimes. A troubling resolution for a mother who so obviously cares for her child. He too finds his heart clenching tightly at her words. The lost boy he promised to save, to be killed before their first official training session? Anakin grimaced, that's not going to happen.

"Leia, your afraid they will kill him," he said simply, giving voice to the elephant in the room.

She looked down at the floor once more, her hood covering her face again. Yet though the force, Anakin could feel a monster threatening to break through Leias shields. 

"The won't have it any other way," she said quietly.

Anakin let out a heavy breath. Pessimism was an uncommon trait within his daughter, she must really have been struggling if this is how she was looking at he world. 

"We won't let that-" he was stopped suddenly as her shoulder crashed into his. She stormed past him, towards the command room. He looked after her shrinks white form. A sudden sense of urgency boiled deep within his stomach. If she intends to enter the meeting already accepting defeat, then Kylo's fate will have already been decided.

"Princess, wait!" He called, turning and marching towards her.

She stopped, the hood moved every so slightly to he side. She looked at him through the corner of her eye. Through the force, he could sense a great fire raging within her, melting away her shields.

"How will the boy live, when even his own mother is ready to accept his death sentence?"

Leia stands silently in the corridor for a long time, motionless. Anakin, watches her with patience, ready to help her if she needs him. Yet even though an onlooker may see silence, neither Anakin nor Leia were truley experiencing it.

The force howled around Leia like a storm. Her strength of her convictions were so powerful that even Anakin's, mighty shields struggled to hold their own against her assault. Fear and pain and anger burned in the corridor, both its occupants contributing to the storm. 

She wanted to yell at him, he could feel it with every heavy breath taken in the corridor. She wanted to scream. She wanted to blame him for everything. She hated him. She hated everything about him. And she hated that her grandson loved him.

He tried to push past her hatred, he gathered the light side around him and pushed against her onslaught with all his might. If only he could reach her, if only she would let him help her...

In an instant, the storm disappears. Like an dying start, it imploded unpopular itself as Leia's shields clamped down on her presence. Anakin nearly stumbles at the sudden change in the force. His breathe heavy, he looks after her, only to see that she had disappeared down the hallway.

***

Anakin marched with purpose and urgency towards Han Solos quarters. If anyone on this base were too understand Leia it would be Solo. He pushed his growing anxiety about his children down beneath his conscience with practiced precision. A dribbling mess would help no one

The doors to solos quarters open to reveal the Captian himself standing their dumbly behind his door. He was about to leave.

"I'm busy," he grumbles, trying to sidestep Anakin, a move which he easily prevents. Anakin steps into the doorway, using his tall inure to complety block the opening altogether.

"I don't care, I need your help," 

"Well Ben needs mine," Han hissed, obviously not happy at all that he's being held prisoner in his room.

"Then perhaps we can help each other," Anakin continues.

Han finally finds it within himself to look Anakin in the eye. He crests his stiff hands on his hips, and looks the sith over in contemplation.

"I encountered Leia in the corridor. She expects Kylo to receive the death sentence, we cannot allow him to be terminated,"

"Geez Vader, ya gotta be so mechanical about it?!" Han barks angerly as he sits down on a chair surrounded by ale at the end of the room.

"We must act now, Solo" Anakin persists, the force echoing his urgency.

"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it?" Han sneered.

Vader doesn't immidatley find a responce, because honestly, he was hoping solo would have some sort of idea. But that thought was only a passing one, because soon his mind has kicked into beer and a stream of ideas come to him.

"He will die if he stays on the base, correct?"

"....yeah?" Han replies cautiously. 

"Then we must remove him from the base," 

Hans eyes widen at the statement. 

"What like a rescue mission?" 

"You could call it that," he replied thoughtfully. 

A snicker of laughter draws Anakins attention back to the smuggler, who is in the process of giving him an incredulous look.

"Yeah, so you can take him and train him as a sith, Vader," Han scoffs.

"Then what do you suggest?" he replies sharply as he marches up to Han and stands over him.

To smuggler remained silent for a few moments, seemingly at an impass. Perhaps Anakin had finally found an end to Solos sarcasm. The odd thought gave him a sort of hopeless sense of humour. 

"I dunno, be he ain't leavin' with you," Han finally replied..

"I never said he would have to,"


	17. Delegating 101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I probably shouldn't be writing at the moment as my exams are literally days away, but I couldn't help it. I had this chapter finished for a while but couldn't settle on an ending, eventually I got inspired and got it done. So here, enjoy!

“General?” Director Adaline coughed through her coffee in surprise. 

Everyone in the command centre turned sharply to face her, their eyes wide. How word still hadn’t reached them that she was alive, she could not fathom. Though maybe it had something to do with destroying her medical droid...

“What are you doing here?” she continued as she lowered her coffee unto the rim of a console (whose attendant glared at her disapprovingly, but uttered no protest.)

Adaline was a tough, calculating woman, who kept her kept black hair tightly wound in braids behind her head. Leia sometimes wondered if she wore that striking lipstick to try to appear more vibrant and colourful than she was.

“Director, I have been told that you were awaiting my recovery before deciding my son’s fate,” she stated curtly, forcing all of her repressed despair into a tiny tube in her mind. Her son may be doomed, but by the force she wouldn’t let him go down without a fight. Vader’s words had wrung in her ears down the hallway, it managed to snap her out of her panicked desolation somehow. Now though, the only thing she could feel was an overwhelming protectiveness that even she could tell was bordering on obsession. 

“That is correct,” Adaline said slowly, her eyes sharp and thoughtful, “though we never heard any report from the medical wing telling us you were cleared to leave,” 

That was another thing about the director, she was obsessed with procedure. 

“Do I look incapable to preform my duty to the Resistance?” Leia asked with a cold, accusing smile. 

The laymen exchanged glances while Adaline blinked in surprise. She clasped her fingers together at her waist and straightened ever so slightly, though her reply was considerably delayed,

“Of course not, General. But that still does not pertain to the fact that-”

“If I spent my life following the rules there would be no Resistance in the first place,” Leia announced as she marched passed Adaline and towards one of the many private conference rooms.  
“call the rest of the leaders, we will commence my son’s trial now,” 

The director simply stared at the General as she disappeared through a door, her jaws clenching tightly. The once bustling room stood in a confused silence. An intelligence officer raised an eyebrow at her, and she shot him down with a cold glare. 

“What are you all standing around for? We have work to do,” Analine snapped before picking up her coffee and storming out of the room to contact the leaders. 

***

Han struggled to keep up with Vader’s death-march towards the detention block. He had thought himself a fit man, for his age, and could easily hold his own. He could carry three crates of spice at a time into the falcon while under heavy fire. He wasn’t slow either; he could easily barrel down a dingy corridor when properly motivated. But Vader’s ground-eating pace put him to shame. The man managed to stride down the corridor at a speed so fast that it made him consider trying to get himself a hover-craft just to keep up, which was just unbelievable. Vader could cover as much ground as three of his steps managed in one long stride. 

“You know where we’re going, bud?” he rasped condescendingly as they turned another corner.

“Yes, we are nearly there,” Vader replied calmly. 

“You know, people aren't exactly gonna stop and praise us when they see we got Ben walkin’ around like he never hurt a butterfly,” 

His breaths were getting heavier from the strain, and nobody had even started shooting at them yet. Damn he was getting old.

“We will address that situation when it presents itself,” 

The door to the brig swooshed open. A young lieutenant manned the console at the entrance. He turned and gaped at them in surprise. Vader glided into the room like back-clad ghost, frightening the shocked officer into action. He darted for the communicator. The sudden action sent a jolt of urgency through Han; if the base found out they were here there would be no way in hell they would manage to fight their way out.

But he needn’t have feared, however, as the communicator flew into Vader’s hands before the lieutenant’s very eyes. He looked at Vader with clear dread written across his face, then looked to the door, but Han still stood within it, giving the officer a disapproving look for good measure. All the young officer could do was stand there like a deer caught in the head-lights.

Now the only difficulty was what to do with the boy. If they left him alone he would run straight to command, and it’s not like they could kill him either; he was one of their own after all. Maybe they could tie him up?

As Han silently pondered their options, Vader flicked his fingers and the lieutenant fell to the floor like a rag doll. Han blanched and jumped back in shock. 

“Vader! What the hell? Did you just kill him?!” he roared with a fright.

Vader’s steely, blue eyes turned to look at him. Kriffing hell he didn’t even look like he regretted it at all. Why in seven hells had he thought this was a good idea?

“He’s unconscious, and should remain so for a few hours. We should hide him, least someone notice he has been incapacitated.” 

Without waiting for an answer, Vader swiftly turned and moved down the corridor to the brig. Han felt a little taken-aback by the ease in which he could just... end someone, whenever he felt like it. Vader could literally put him unconscious -or even kill him- with a single thought at any moment and there was nothing he could do about it. To say that thought was unnerving didn’t even begin to cover it. He looked numbly down at the sleeping lieutenant, his jaw half agape. 

“Remove him, Solo,” Vader ordered as he started hot-wiring the door at the end of the hall.

Han looked at Vader, and then back at the officer, before finally picking up the young man’s body and hauling him behind the console. It wasn’t the best hiding place for a body, but at least if someone looked in it would just look like whoever was in charge of her was shrinking their duties instead of unconscious. Anyway, he couldn’t do any better at the moment, because even if Vader had managed to beat his son into line back on the falcon, Han was still a little wary around him. He had, after all, frozen him in carbonite and sold him to his rival to be used as a decoration. Someone doesn’t just forget that. So he wasn’t about to leave Vader alone with his son just so he could hide a body.

He reached the end of the hall just as Vader got the door open. The steady hum of a ray shield buzzed from inside, setting Han’s heart beating faster. Vader stepped aside to allow Han to enter first, his blue eyes watching closely. Han tired to ignore him as he took a deep breath. The moment of truth, time to see his son.

He crossed to line into the room. Ben stood just behind the ray shield, his eyes curious for only a moment, before he realised who had come to see him. Then they turned sickeningly hard.

“Ben,” Han breathed as his thoughts tried to overwhelm him. His son looked so haggered and tired. Regret stabbed at his heart, he should have come to see him sooner. What sort of father leaves his own son to rot in a cell all alone like this? But force, how could he, Ben had nearly killed Leia. He’d had been cursing him to hell since they met on Nova prime. But they weren't excuses; a real father would never have avoided his son for so long like this.

Ben didn’t even reply to him. Instead he looked past Han’s shoulder to watch Vader enter. The tall man strode to Ben’s cell and deactivated the shield. It disappeared into thin air, leaving Vader and Ben face to face.

“We’re hear to rescue you,” Vader declared.

Now, Ben’s face morphed into one of confusion as he glanced between Han and Vader. Han felt the urge to move closer to Ben, or at least to say something. But images of what he did to Leia kept playing in his mind. 

“And he’s ok with this?” Ben asked suspiciously as he pointed a finger in Han’s direction. 

Vader tilted his head ever so slightly to look at Han for the briefest of moments, before looking back at his grandson.

“Yes, he will be coming with us,” 

Han frowned, since when had there been an us. He had specifically told Vader that he wouldn’t be going anywhere with his son.

“Now hold on a minute, I thought we decided that you wouldn’t be leaving with Ben,” Han said, a trickle of aggression in his voice. He couldn’t help it, Ben was at a crucial time in his life; it could be Han’s only chance to turn his son away from the dark side, and he wasn’t about to let Vader get in the way of that. He remembered how he tried to turn Luke, he wouldn’t get the chance try to turn Ben.

Vader turned sharply to face him, his face betraying something humorous in his eyes. It was unnerving. Especially given the heaviness in the air around them. It didn’t seem to effect Vader at all. 

“Correct, you and Ben should leave together on the millennium falcon, while Rey and I will leave in another ship,” 

If Han was in any way unnerved before, now he was damn right scared. What was that Sith planning? His eyes widened in out-right fear as a wide smile spread across Vader’s face. Part of him wished the Sith was still wearing a mask.

“Rey and I will be leaving for Ahch-To,”

“Master, I’m leaving with you!” Kylo pinned angrily from his open cell. Vader turned to look at him with a weird glint in his eye. Han didn’t like this newly energised Vader, it was disconcerting.

“I have a very important job for you, my apprentice. I need you and your father to travel to Takodana, I believe an old friend of mine still hides there. She has eyes and ears all around the galaxy. If anyone knows what the first order, or what Sidious are planning it will be her,”

Han instantly knew who Vader was talking about, anyone who even dipped their little toe in the smuggling business did; Kanata, the pirate queen. 

“But master-” Kylo continued,

“I also sense strong ties to the planet through the force. It is important that the place is investigated, and I need a strong force-sensitive to figure out what is hiding there. You should also bring some extra bodies, to help you in case you find yourself on the wrong side of a firefight,”

Ben stopped silent, seemingly unable to find a way to weasel himself out of Vader’s plan. However he wasn’t agreeing to it either, something Han tried not to let effect him. 

“Come on Ben, it’ll be just like old times,” Han encouraged with a small shrug. Ben just glared at him.

Vader, having decided that all he needed to say was said, made for the door. 

“That’s an order apprentice,” he said before stepping back into the corridor.

The door hissed shut, leaving Ben and Han alone once more. Han managed to catch the smallest little bit of turmoil in his son’s chocolate eyes before they glazed over and stared at him. Han quickly became aware of how heavy the air had become between the two men. An urgency in his stomach desperately wanted things to be the way they used to before... well everything. He wanted to speak, but didn’t quite know what to say. 

The somewhat awkward silence was broken when Ben turned to the wall and looked up at the vents by the ceiling. He raised his hand as if to touch something, though there wasn’t anything there.

“...Ben?” Han asked quizzically, and slightly anxiously. Had his son gone mad from trauma? Was it all his fault? Han stepped closer, a worried frown crossing his ageing face. Of course it was his fault, all he ever did was-

Suddenly a piece of vent came crashing to the ground. 

“What the?!” he exclaimed, half jumping out of his skin. 

It clattered like an angry beast by Ben’s feet. Though his son simply stood and looked up into the vent. Breathing heavily, Han looked in dismay from the piece of vent up to where Ben was looking.  
Then Ben jumped up and grabbed the corner of the vent with his hands, pulling himself up and into it entirely. 

“Ben?!” Han asked urgently. When he heard no immediate reply, he rushed over and looked up to where his son had disappeared. “What are you doing?”

There was a lot of banging within the vent, which was what Han presumed was Ben adjusting himself, before the upper half of Ben’s face peered over the opening. His eyes were shallow and dead looking. He had that sort of face on him that he made when he thought Han was being an idiot. 

“What does it look like? I’m escaping,” he droned as though speaking to a child and not liking a   
single minute of it. 

Han gulped. Part of him was thinking this was a bad idea, and they hadn’t even reached the falcon yet. 

“Are you coming? Because I will gladly leave without you,” Ben continued sourly. 

Even though his sons clear distaste for him resounded with every forced syllable he spoke, some part of Han was starting to feel a bit excited. It would be just the two of them, sailing through the stars like old times. Sure he would be breaking the rules by helping Ben escape, but when did he not like rules?

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Hand said, forming a small smile at his son. It would be just like old times, or at least that’s what he had decided to tell himself. 

Ben scrunched up his nose as if Han’s words had physically hurt him, then disappeared back into the vents. Han could hear more banging from Ben up ahead as he hoisted himself into the unsurprisingly cramped space. 

“How did you lean about this vent trick? I certainly didn’t teach ya’ it,” Han comminuted as he start to crawl after Ben. 

“I don’t think you would want to know.”


End file.
